NFA Shops for N100m for International EngagementsOfficial
By Wale Ajimotokan
Unless the fund raising efforts of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) dramatically pays off the country's national teams may be forced to pull out from some top profile competitions already listed on the international calendar for the year.
THISDAYSports learnt on authority that the NFA is in dire financial strait and can not prosecute its bloated programme with the subventions it receives from government as well as the grants by the International football governing body, FIFA.
The Nigerian federation, it was gathered, will require no less than N100million to conduct its programme in the final quarter of the year.
We have already reported exclusively that the Nigerian federation has drawn up a budget of N25 million for the all-important World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe in Harare on September 5th.
The large chunk of the proposed spending will be expended as the players' bonuses provided the Super Eagles beat the Zimbabweans in the group 4 fixture.
Details available have added that the NFA is also shopping for funds to prosecute matches involving the U-19 female team, the Falconets against South Africa on 20th September for a place at the U-19 World Cup in Thailand in October.
Other fund-gulping campaigns on the NFA calendar include the African Women's Championship, which begins in South Africa on September 15th, as well as, the qualifiers against Burkina Faso in the U-21 cadre and against Sierra Leone for the ticket to the African U-17 Championship.
NFA's yearly subvention of $250,000 from FIFA is not enough to shoulder the pecuniary demands informed by its extended international programme.
The urgency of the prevailing cash brunch has been underlined by the tendency of the NFA to borrow money from alternative sources to run its programmes.
We reliably learnt that the Sports Ministry has told the Glass House to go and find money, as it had none to spare in view of the Olympic Games. All the principal officers of the Ministry, including the Minister Col. Musa Mohammed (rtd) and his de facto second in command Chief Patrick Ekeji, the Director of Sports Development, are currently in Athens. It was learnt that the federation was lent money by a bank to enable it send the U-23 to the ill-fated Olympic qualifier against Tunisia in Rades in May - money the association is yet to offset.
FA scribe, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi is yet to leave for the Olympics Games in Athens because he is still scouting for money in order to take part in other Nigerian engagements that overlap during the Olympics.
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