A national youth team coach of Nigeria has reacted angrily to statements credited to former Nigeria captain and coach Daniel Amokachi, that players of the Nigeria U-17 team are made to pay more before they are selected.
Amokachi made the statement, in an interview three days ago, while speaking on corruption in Nigeria, in the wake of arrest of alleged corrupt court judges by the Department of State Services, (DSS).
“President Buhari is one who doesn’t take nonsense when it comes to fighting corruption. I concur with everything he says. “For instance, in Nigerian football today, the youths, when invited to the national team, a coach will ask them to bring N250,000 each to get into the U-17 team when he already has the talent. If a person has talent, he should be allowed to showcase what he has in the interest of the nation.” He said.
However, one of the coaches who have been part of the last two set of Nigeria U-17, tha t have conquered the world, say Amokachi has no basis for making such allegations base on the success of the team and their players.
” He is obviously very sick to make such comment. I think he is looking for attention or he is envious of the fact that other coaches are contributing more to Nigeria football than he will ever do in his lifetime” He told Owngoalnigeria.com.
” In the last two years our U-17 teams have conquered the world, producing the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho, Isacc Success, Taiwo Awoniyi, Kelechi Nwakali, Victor Osimhen and more. You can’t produce such highly rated players from a corrupt system. Amokachi is sick to have suggested that.
” The last two coaches of the U-17 Manu Garba and Emmanuel Amuneke have turned children of poor Nigerians into billionaires, owing to the success of our U-17 team. Ask Amokachi where children of poor men will get N250,000 to bribe coaches”
