Tag Archives: Falcons

Falcons: Reps Berate Dalung, NFF

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Members of the House of Representatives on Thursday condemned the “unsavoury treatment” meted out  to the Super Falcons by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung, and the Nigerian Football Federation by failing to pay their bonuses and allowances.

The team defeated hosts Cameroon 1-0 in the final of the 2016  African Women’s  Cup of Nations  in Yaounde on December 3 to win the title for the eighth  time.

However, the players  were not paid their allowances, a development which forced them to resort to  protests in Abuja.

The team also refused to vacate their hotel, insisting that they would not leave until they had been paid.

Only on Wednesday, they stormed the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly to protest against the non-payment of their entitlements.

This prompted the Presidency to direct that the allowances of the players should be paid without further delay.

At its sitting on Thursday, the House condemned Dalung and the NFF, saying that their actions  had brought shame upon Nigeria.

A former Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Sports, Mrs. Ayo Omidiran,  sponsored a motion on the burning issue.

Describing the players  as “patriotic”, she said they answered the national call on the belief that they would be paid after the championship, but were disappointed.

Omidiran, who is from Osun State, spoke more, “For the past two weeks, the space has been filled with the cries of these ladies.

“Has it become a crime to make your country proud? What makes it more painful is the fact that the Cameroonian girls, who came second, were celebrated by their President (Paul Biya).

“These girls are not asking for anything extraordinary, but the allowances owed them from the qualifiers till they won the trophy.”

Another member from Edo State, Mr. Sergius Ose-Ogun, noted that there was something wrong with the Nigerian attitude to things.

He said, “It is not only in sports, Mr. Speaker. Even in the civil service, workers retire after 35 years and they are not paid their dues.

“Why did they have to subject these girls to so much pain?There is an evil spirit in this country, which must die.”

The Deputy House Minority Leader, Mr. Chukwuka Onyeama, told the House that Nigeria would have been saved from the disgrace by simply declining to participate in the championship.

“This is a major disgrace and I don’t know how to explain it,” Onyeama observed.

A member from Borno State, Mr. Mohammed Nur-Sheriff, revealed that there was more rot in the sports ministry than Nigerians knew.

Credit: punchng

Unpaid allowances: You’ll be paid within 48 hours, Presidency assures Falcons.

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The issue of unpaid allowances between the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Super Falcons will be resolved in two days, according to Abba Kyari.

 

Kyari, who is the Chief Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari made the declaration on Wednesday when he addressed the players who staged a protest to the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock.

 

The players led by team captain Rita Chikwelu expressed their displeasure on the non-payment of their allowances.

 

Kyari assured them that the government was aware of the situation and would resolve it in two days.

Falcons To Storm Aso Rock– Report

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The Super Falcons will reportedly  march to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on  Wednesday to protest against the non-payment of their entitlements.

The eight-time African champions, who are owed bonuses and allowances by the Nigeria Football Federation,  have  been  protesting  since they won the  African Women’s Cup of Nations  in Cameroon.

According to  a statement by one of the organisers of the planned protest, Aderonke Bello-Ogunleye, obtained by AfricanFootball.com,  the team are ready to carry placards and proceed on a peaceful protest to the State House, where the Federal Executive Council meeting will take place today.

“This is unfortunately a regular occurrence to female football in Nigeria, we treat our victorious girls with disdain and total disrespect as all the time,” said Aderonke.

“It is inconceivable that the NFF/Federal Government are unwilling to pay the players their dues after winning the trophy. This has to stop and the girls must be paid their dues.

“We are going to protest the unfair treatment meted out to these champions who have won the tournament eight  times, making them the most successful football team in Nigeria, and we hope the federal government will listen to their plea.”

Credit: punchng

Mercy Akide-Udoh: My kids will never play for Nigeria

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Former Super Falcons striker, Mercy Akide-Udoh, has said her children will never play for Nigeria, as long as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) continues to treat players poorly.

Akide-Udoh emerged the first ever African Women Footballer of the Year in 2001 and was named in the FIFA World All-Star in 2004.

The 41-year-old was reacting to the face-off between the current Falcons squad and the NFF over unpaid bonuses and allowances despite winning the 2016 African Women Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

“They fought with everything, so it should have been a happy ending. These kids have families, their parents are waiting for them to come back and put food on the table,” Akide-Udoh told BBC Sport.

“They’ve done their part and should be paid their money. I won’t be surprised if some of these kids don’t come back; opting to stay with their clubs rather than play for Nigeria.

“I am sorry, My kids are Americans, with the situation going on if something does not change my kids will never play for Nigeria. Who wants to suffer? We did it in our own time, this is a new generation, they should not be suffering what we suffered”, she added.

Super Falcons: SERAP Drags FG, NFF to UN

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A human rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has petitioned the UN Working Group on the issues of discrimination against women in law and in practice.

He, therefore, requested the body to use its mandate and position to urgently order the Nigerian government and the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, to clear the allowances of Super Falcons.

In the petition dated December 7 2016, and signed by SERAP’s executive director, Adetokumbo Mumuni, the group pointed out that it was unlawful to discriminate in payment arrangements in relation to sex and gender.

The Super Falcons did the country proud in Cameroon last week by clinching their 8th African Women Cup of Nations, AWCON title, beating the host 1-0 in the final.

The team is still in their hotel in Abuja protesting nonpayment of their allowances and match bonuses.

And SERAP is asking the Working Group to “request the authorities to immediately pay each player of the Super Falcons of Nigeria the sum of $30,000 USD for winning the African Women Cup of Nations. This is the equivalent of what the government paid their male counterparts for winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.”

The organization also asked the UN body to mandate the Nigerian authorities to “End pay inequalities across the national teams and demonstrate commitment to fairness and equality in the treatment of both male and female players.”

According to the petition, “SERAP is seriously concerned about the large and stubborn gender pay gap between the Super Eagles’ players and the Super Falcons’ players. The discriminatory treatment of the Super Falcons’ players by the authorities is indicative of the systemic discrimination against women and girls in Nigeria, and the undervaluation of work commonly done by women.

“While a State’s compliance with the obligations under these treaties is assessed in the light of financial and other resources, a lack of resources cannot justify inaction or indefinite postponement of implementation. This is particularly so when discrimination exists, as we believe it is the case with respect to the unfavourable treatment of the Super Falcons’ players.

“SERAP also argues that the Nigerian government cannot use recession and the current economic situation in the country to objectively justify a difference in treatment of the players of the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons on grounds of sex. To hold otherwise is to undermine the integrity of the international human rights treaties and ILO conventions which Nigeria has ratified.

“In fact, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2009) has said that the failure to remove differential treatment on the basis of a lack of available funds is not an objective and reasonable justification unless every effort has been made to use all resources that are at a State party’s disposal to eliminate the discrimination, as a matter of priority.

“SERAP argues that the failure by the Nigerian authorities to pay the players of the Super Falcons as promised violates the players’ right to equal pay, which is a fundamental tenet of gender equality.

“SERAP believes that the male and female national teams deserve equal pay systems that are transparent and value the efforts put in by these players. Fair and non-discriminatory systems represent best practices, consistent with Nigeria’s international human rights obligations and commitments.”

Dalung, Pinnick Ignore Super Falcons, Fly To London

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The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung and the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), have left the country for the UK, where they are expected to sign a new contract with kit manufacturing giants, Nike.

Their trip comes amid the rancour with the senior national women’s team, the Super Falcons, who are still on a sit-in protest in an Abuja hotel, over unpaid bonuses and allowances.

The Falcons have been holed up in the hotel since they arrived in the country from the competition and have vowed not to release the trophy, until they receive their entitlements.

Although the NFF promised to pay off the outstanding debts, they also admitted they currently don’t have the funds to.

One of the players told BBC Sport that they are owed as much as US$23,650 (about N11.5 million) per player.

“We are not leaving this hotel and we have not been told exactly when we are going to get paid,” the player, who insisted on anonymity, said.

“The plan is to stay here until we all receive the money because the moment we leave there will be no opportunity to get it again.”

Amaju Pinnick Snubbed Us In Cameroon, We Will Embarrass NFF – Super Falcons Players

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Super Falcons players have revealed how President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, snubbed them in Cameroon.

Florence Omagbemi’s ladies defeated the hosts 1-0, to clinch a record 10th African championship. But the squad have been holed up in an Abuja hotel, since they returned to the country, as they wait for the federation to pay their entitlements.

The NFF has already promised to pay the players, although the football house admitted funds are not available at the moment.

However the Falcons have made it clear they don’t trust the NFF and will not release the trophy they won, until they receive their bonuses and allowances.

“We don’t trust them (NFF),” one of them told newsmen, on the condition of anonymity.

“This is our money and we must collect it before we leave this hotel as we do not trust them to pay us if we accepted their pleas.

“They want us to leave this hotel but we know those monies are gone the moment we agree to leave this place. They know it and we do too, so we’re staying put.”

She also criticized Pinnick for flying in and out of Cameroon, without meeting with the team.

“We heard he came to Cameroon on a chartered flight and left immediately, we didn’t even see him,” she continued.

“Now we hear he has traveled out of the country again, what kind of a leader is he? It has been one misfortune or the other since he came in and we are really disappointed.

“It’s more like he came with bad luck because since he came on board, our football has suffered both on and off the pitch and he doesn’t even seem to care.”

Another squad members also confirmed they were considering embarking on a street protest to drive home their claims.

“Yes, we have talked about it and it is something we would do if they don’t act fast. We have been reasonable enough, but we may choose to embarrass them if our entitlements are not settled,” she said.

Super Falcons Set For Showdown With NFF Over $16,500-A-Player Bonus

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Nigeria’s Super Falcons, record eight-time African champions, are set for a showdown with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the payment of their win bonus from this year’s AWCON in Cameroon, which is put at $16,500-a-player.

The Falcons defeated hosts Cameroon 1-0 on Saturday to retain their continental crown in front of a devastated sell-out crowd in Yaounde.

However, they are yet to be paid a kobo whether as camp allowance or match bonus, top team officials have revealed.

Besides the allowances, the Falcons are due $3,000 each for a win in the group stage of the AWCON, while victory in the semi-finals will earn them another $4,000.

They are to receive another $5,000 each for beating Cameroon in the championship decider.

This format means that each player is entitled to $16,500 as they won two group games ($6,000), drew with Ghana in another group game ($1,500), before they defeated South Africa in the semi-final($4,000) and then retained their championship with victory in the final against Cameroon ($5,000).

It was gathered that a sponsor, who hosted the team on arrival in Lagos, gave each player a token of 50,000 Naira.

Top officials of the NFF have already addressed the team at their Agura Hotel in Abuja, promising that their entitlements will be worked on from today.

It was further understood that the NFF have applied for a bailout from government to enable them pay off the team.

The broke NFF have in the last few weeks sent off various national teams with ridiculous sums of cash.

The Nigeria U19 team to the Suwon International Tournament in South Korea were paid 5,000 Naira each on their return, while the country’s team to the FIFA U20 World Cup in Papua New Guinea received 30,000 Naira-a-player after they protested a proposed 10,000 Naira stipend.

Vice President Osinbajo Pays Eagles, Falcons Surprise Visits In Camp

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Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (GCON) on Tuesday paid a surprise visit to the country’s senior national football teams, Super Eagles and Super Falcons at their respective training sessions at the National Stadium, Abuja.

 

While the Super Falcons are preparing for the 10th Women Africa Cup of Nations taking place in Cameroon 19th November – 3rd December this year, the Super Eagles are getting set for Saturday’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Algeria.

 

The Vice President arrived the practice pitch of the National Stadium, Abuja at about 5.30pm, as the teams were rounding off evening sessions. To the Super Eagles, Vice President Osinbajo said: “I commend you for your patriotism and commitment to the cause of fatherland. By going to Zambia to defeat the Zambians on their own ground for the first time, you have shown your determination to conquer your group and qualify for the World Cup.

 

“I want to assure you that the Government and people of Nigeria are behind you in your quest to qualify for the World Cup. I believe that you will certainly pick the ticket from your group to make it to the World Cup finals.”

 

While Sports Minister Solomon Dalung presented the Super Eagles to the Vice President as a bunch of disciplined and dedicated patriots, NFF President Amaju Pinnick assured Osinbajo that the Eagles will fight hard to qualify for the World Cup.

 

Skipper Mikel John Obi praised Vice President Osinbajo for finding time to spur the team, saying Nigeria has one of the youngest national teams in Africa presently, and Technical Adviser Gernot Rohr declared that as a German, he has brought the German mentality of resilience and perseverance to the team’s camp.

 

To the Super Falcons, Osinbajo said: “I am happy that you girls are the reigning African champions, and I believe you will go to Cameroon and retain your trophy. The whole nation is behind you. You must start by beating Mali and then going all the way so as to bring the Cup back to Nigeria.”

 

Captain Evelyn Nwabuoku thanked the Vice President and promised that the Falcons are committed to retaining their continental title.