Former Super Eagles defender Sam Sodje has exposed the alarming prevalence of pedophiles among youth coaches in Nigeria, particularly in Delta State. He urges parents to conduct thorough background checks before entrusting their children to coaches and calls for stricter vetting processes within sports associations to protect vulnerable children.
Former Super Eagles defender Sam Sodje has raised concerns about the prevalence of pedophilia among youth coaches in Nigeria, particularly in Delta State. In a recent interview, Sodje claimed that several coaches are sexually abusing young children entrusted to them for training. He emphasized the alarming nature of this issue, highlighting how parents, in their desire to help their children escape poverty through sports, often fail to conduct proper background checks on coaches.
Sodje called for parents to be more vigilant and to ensure thorough vetting of any coach they consider trustworthy. He urged sports associations across the country to take immediate action by properly screening coaches and removing those with questionable character. According to Sodje, this is vital to protecting vulnerable children from exploitation and abuse.
He stressed that safeguarding young athletes is not just the responsibility of the sports administrators but also that of parents and society as a whole. Sodje warned that ignoring the problem will only allow it to escalate, urging everyone to stop tolerating such misconduct before it worsens.
In conclusion, he called for stringent measures to ensure that coaches with a history of immoral behavior are banned from working with children, ensuring a safer environment in sports.
