NFF surrenders, Japanese doctor hands Mikel, Siasia $390,000 cheque

The dust raised by the donation from a
Japanese doctor, Katsuya Takasu, to the
Nigeria U-23 team for their exploit at
the Rio Olympics may have been finally
settled.
That indication emerged following the
circulation of a picture of the Japanese
doctor handing cheques to the duo of
Mikel Obi, who is the captain of the
team, as well as the Head Coach
Samson Siasia.
The plastic surgeon cum football
enthusiast made a pledge, totaling
$390,000.
Earlier on Saturday, a former Super
Eagles goalkeeper and football analyst,
Peterside Idah, had raised the alarm
that Nigeria Football Federation
officials had hijacked the donation
made by the Japanese doctor.
The NFF denied the allegation.
Mr.Idah later confirmed that Mr.
Takasu had made the donation directly
to the beneficiaries at their hotel.
“All is well,” Mr Idah tweeted. “Two
cheques have just been handed over to
the team. One in Samson Siasia’s
name, and the other made out to the
name of Mikel.”
In an earlier interview, Mr. Takasu
said he made the donation to the
players after hearing about their
financial crisis.
“I read about the financial problems affecting the
team and I felt the need to make a big contribution,”
Mr. Takasu told the BBC earlier this week.
The Nigeria U-23 have hugged the headlines on and
off the pitch as they braved all odds to make a
podium finish at the Olympics.
Continually referred to as ‘miracle workers’ by their
coach, the Dream Team VI surprised many with their
performance in the face of daunting challenges
which included arriving barely hours to their first
match in Rio.
The 3-2 win over Honduras on Saturday ensured that
Nigeria won its first medal since after the Beijing
2008 Olympics.