Coach of the Nigerian U-23 team that won Bronze in the just concluded Olympic games Samson Siasia has explained how the money given to them by Japanese Plastic surgeon and billionaire Katsuya Takasu was shared.
The doctor had given the team $390,000 to share for winning the bronze medal, Nigeria’s only medal, at the Olympics.
Siasia said the entire amount of $390,000 was shared equally among all the members of the team including the supporting staff.
“The Japanese benefactor said $200,000 and $190,000 was supposed to be for bronze medal and it was split among the players and officials equally. It is not my personal money and this must be made clear.
“What I got was what every other player of official in the team got about $14,000 dollars each. The man came to Salvador where we played and gave $200,000 as draft to me and $190,000 to Mikel because he cannot write cheque to every member of the team, he made it simpler so that we all can share the money and now we are paying to the individual accounts of the boys.
“So make this issue clear to everybody that has been following it, the money was never meant for me or Mikel alone but for the entire team including the doctors and other backroom staff.”
The doctor had given the team $390,000 to share for winning the bronze medal, Nigeria’s only medal, at the Olympics.
Siasia said the entire amount of $390,000 was shared equally among all the members of the team including the supporting staff.
“The Japanese benefactor said $200,000 and $190,000 was supposed to be for bronze medal and it was split among the players and officials equally. It is not my personal money and this must be made clear.
“What I got was what every other player of official in the team got about $14,000 dollars each. The man came to Salvador where we played and gave $200,000 as draft to me and $190,000 to Mikel because he cannot write cheque to every member of the team, he made it simpler so that we all can share the money and now we are paying to the individual accounts of the boys.
“So make this issue clear to everybody that has been following it, the money was never meant for me or Mikel alone but for the entire team including the doctors and other backroom staff.”
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