Drama as Flying Eagles depart without coach
Drama as Flying Eagles depart without coach
Obuh alleges 13-month pay arrears
A DRAMA ensued on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, where the national U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, departed for Egypt without Coach, John Obuh, who was nowhere near the airport as the players assembled to board a waiting Arik plane.
The Flying Eagles are billed to play a two-leg friendly match against the Young Pharaohs of Egypt as part of the build up to the African Youth Championship (AYC).
Obuh, who led the players and officials of the team to the airport from their Serob Hotel, Abuja, The Guardian gathered, quietly left the airport when the aircraft was about to take off in protest of his unpaid 13-month salary.
Obuh’s absence delayed the plane’s takeoff as the crew and other officials of the team went in search of the coach, who refused to join the team.
After the aircraft’s departure, Coach Obuh drove straight to the secretariat of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) where he held a meeting for about an hour with the General Secretary, Musa Amadu, who pleaded with him to join the team in Lagos, assuring that his salary arrears would be paid to him.
The NFF, which had earlier slashed Obuh’s N1 million monthly salary to N600, 000 when he was retained by the federation after leading the team to win the AYC in 2011 in South Africa.
In a recent Press conference, NFF Media Committee Chairman, Emeka Inyama, stated that the federation has directed that the coach’s salary arrears be paid before the team departs for Egypt, assuring that everything would be settled.
Obuh told journalists on Monday that he could not travel with the team because there were issues to be sorted out with the federation, assuring that he would join the team once he received confirmation of the payment of his salary.
“My luggage has already left with the team. By tomorrow if I am able to fix the issues, I will just hop into the flight and join the team in Egypt. That is why I came to the federation and we are handling it with the belief that it will all be settled by tomorrow.
“If it is not like that then you know that there are certain things one cannot handle alone, we see what we can do. But I will wait until tomorrow to see if I can get any alert of the payment of my outstanding salaries before I join the team.”
A DRAMA ensued on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, where the national U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, departed for Egypt without Coach, John Obuh, who was nowhere near the airport as the players assembled to board a waiting Arik plane.
The Flying Eagles are billed to play a two-leg friendly match against the Young Pharaohs of Egypt as part of the build up to the African Youth Championship (AYC).
Obuh, who led the players and officials of the team to the airport from their Serob Hotel, Abuja, The Guardian gathered, quietly left the airport when the aircraft was about to take off in protest of his unpaid 13-month salary.
Obuh’s absence delayed the plane’s takeoff as the crew and other officials of the team went in search of the coach, who refused to join the team.
After the aircraft’s departure, Coach Obuh drove straight to the secretariat of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) where he held a meeting for about an hour with the General Secretary, Musa Amadu, who pleaded with him to join the team in Lagos, assuring that his salary arrears would be paid to him.
The NFF, which had earlier slashed Obuh’s N1 million monthly salary to N600, 000 when he was retained by the federation after leading the team to win the AYC in 2011 in South Africa.
In a recent Press conference, NFF Media Committee Chairman, Emeka Inyama, stated that the federation has directed that the coach’s salary arrears be paid before the team departs for Egypt, assuring that everything would be settled.
Obuh told journalists on Monday that he could not travel with the team because there were issues to be sorted out with the federation, assuring that he would join the team once he received confirmation of the payment of his salary.
“My luggage has already left with the team. By tomorrow if I am able to fix the issues, I will just hop into the flight and join the team in Egypt. That is why I came to the federation and we are handling it with the belief that it will all be settled by tomorrow.
“If it is not like that then you know that there are certain things one cannot handle alone, we see what we can do. But I will wait until tomorrow to see if I can get any alert of the payment of my outstanding salaries before I join the team.”
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