- Call for payment of his backlog salaries
The U-20 national team, head Coach, John Obuh has again cried out over the deplorable welfare condition of the Flying Eagles and the technical crew, saying that the neglect of the team is constituting a major distraction to the handlers of the team ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.
Obuh who raised the alarm from the team’s camp in Germany yesterday, said with barely three days to the departure of the team to the World Cup venue, his family and dependents and those of his assistants are in dire need back home in Nigeria because of the failure of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to pay the backlog of their monthly salaries which has run into several millions of naira.
The Flying Eagles coach raised similar alarm shortly before the African Junior Championship in Algeria which resulted in NFF settling part of the arrears owed them.
“It is difficult to be saying this because when you open up on some of these things, people may read different meanings to it. But I must tell you that my situation and to a large extent too, that of my crew members, is not the best. For somebody going to a tournament like the World Cup and every day my family members will be calling about their welfare and I am supposed to be working. As I talk, nobody, I repeat nobody, is saying anything about our salaries; I am not talking about the backlog which they promised to pay during the African Youth Championship but which nothing has been done,” lamented Obuh.
Obuh said that such concerns are a big distraction to the crew which the Flying Eagles fans may not be aware of.
“Everybody wants the team to do well, which is good; it is our desire to do well. Coming this far we all want to do the best for our country. That is what every football fan wants. But it is important that people also realise the challenge we face in this other aspect,” he disclosed.