Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Super Eagles Technical Manager, Gernot Rohr on Tuesday smiled to the bank after receiving an alert of two months salary from his employer, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to boost his psychological readiness for the Africa Nations Cup.
SportingSun investigation revealed that though the federation had been indebted to national team coaches because, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development had refused to release the monthly subventions of the federation.
Miffed by the increasing complaint by the coaches under its employment, the federation had exploited every financial avenue to raise fund for the salary arrears, prioritising the payment of the senior tacticians.
An NFF board member, who confided in our correspondent, said the federation had compiled the names of the coaches indebted to, assuring that once money comes, the federation will prioritise the clearance of the arrears.
The board member argued that the federation deserved commendation instead of condemnation from Nigerians, admitting that the federation had passed through hell, sourcing for fund to pay the coaches and bankroll the qualifications and prosecution of continental and international competitions.
“I can confirm to you that the federation is not owing Rohr a dime again. We just paid him his remaining two months salary on Tuesday. However, if he still insists we owe him, we will consult our records. We have equally compiled the names of the coaches and how much we owe them and as funds come, we will pay them soon.
“I don’t think those critical of the federation are fair to us. We have lost count of when last we received subvention from the Ministry of Sports.”