The man who led Nigeria U-23 Football team to Rio 2016 Olympics, Coach Samson Siasia has announced his resignation to quit his role as coach of the team.
Siasia who against all odds with his team were able to secure Nigeria’s only medal (Bronze) at the recently concluded games in Brazil lamented the ill treatment from the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF during his time as coach of the side.
Despite his contract expiring after the campaign, the team’s experience during their preparations for Olympics until their opening match against Japan was nothing to write home about. The team suffered in Atlanta! The script will sell, if anyone decides to make a movie of their experience in the United States.
”My next step is that I am done with Nigeria for now,”- he told Vanguard in an interview.
How can he not decide to end the drama? Since the Bayelsa born tactician took the job, the media has been awash of stories about unpaid salaries and allowances of himself and his players. At some point, news made the rounds of how the NFF sanctioned and threatened to sack him over his outburst.
”You can’t keep going to a place where they don’t appreciate you. It does not worth it. Sometimes it is not about the money but the approach. They seem not to appreciate the sacrifices. I know how much I have sacrificed since the team began camping two years ago. How can you keep going to people who don’t appreciate you?
”It does not make sense, so I am done for now. I have to go somewhere else where they will appreciate what I have done and what I can do and pay me the respect that I deserve.”
Clearly Siasia is tired of working with the current leadership in the football house and sports generally as he stated he would return only when new people come on board. There is no secrecy in his ordeal, hence, there is no point sitting on the fence because no one likes such an experience, no not one person. Everyone likes to be appreciated. From the cleaner to the men at the security post.
It could be recalled that Sunday Oliseh took to social media to express his feelings and expose how the football federation did not offer necessary support coupled with unpaid salaries; a similar fate you would say. The difference here is that Siasia endured until the end of his task. For how long will this trend continue? Indeed, there is something going on in Abuja Glass House, and if not contained, the country’s football and sports may plunge deeper.
We surely have good coaches in Nigeria, yes we do! The late Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi is one good example of the many intelligent heads who have proven their mettle, yet were allowed to leave unceremoniously. Obviously, there is no enabling environment. Probably the change President Buhari promised Nigerians would also be witnessed in this sector as it makes common sense.
As parts of his achievements, Siasia tutored Nigeria U-20 to World Cup in Holland where he won Silver medal and later in 2008 led the Olympic Team to Beijing Olympic Games and also won the silver.
