Everything working out fine, the funding challenges associated with the football engagements of the Super Eagles will become a thing of the past, says Ibrahim Gusau, the NFF president, reports www.totorinews.com.
According to the amiable football administrator, the National Sports Commission (NSC) in their wisdom and understanding of how sporting activities are funded, wrote a proposal to the Presidency to clear the path and give sports a soft landing when it comes to the bureaucracy of release of funds after the budget has been approved, and the proposal was graciously granted by President Bola Tinubu.
He noted that with this development, there will no longer be delays in the release of funds meant to prosecute football games involving of the Super Eagles, and payment of the financial obligations to the players, as he also commended President Tinubu and the leadership of the NSC for this foresight.
“Well, I think we are not going to have problem anymore. The NFF is working closely with the NSC and based on what happened at the last AFCON and WAFCON, NSC came with a proposal to the government to ensure that money is released to the Sports sector immediately the budget is approved,” Gusau told www.totorinews.com in Abuja.
“The NSC has also gotten approval that the sports sector should be removed from the TSA. All these were impediments in the past. Approval has already been granted. I thank President Tinubu and NSC for this laudable direction.
“We expect that as the budget is being approved, within the shortest period of time, the money approved for sports will be released in totality because that was the proposal forwarded to the Presidency by the NSC and also the issue of removing the sports sector from the TSA, which was approved too by the government.
He further revealed that the NFF can then have a corporate relationship with a commercial bank in order to have easy access to the fund for the national team.
“Now, we can have the privilege of going to open an account with a commercial bank and with this development, so many impediments around the processes of getting money as at when due, the process of payment through the government, the central bank are going to be eliminated.
“I think NFF will not have a problem when it comes to fulfilling the financial obligations to the players.
“Don’t forget that, if you are dealing with a commercial bank, you have the privilege of getting a loan when you are stressed up, when you have emergencies and you have some funds coming from the government.
“We can tell the bank to give us an overdraft so that we can solve our immediate problem and we move on.
Judging by all these factors, Gusau affirmed that lessons have been learnt and as football loving Nigerians look forward to the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign where Nigeria will trade tackles with Tanzania, Guinea Bissau and Madagascar, disputes in the Super Eagles camp over the financial entitlements of players, officials and other logistics will be a thing of the past.
“So, lessons have been learnt, and actions have been taken to make sure that will avoid such occurrence again and by the grace of God, I think such will never happen again,” he concluded.
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