Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, Tuesday, insisted that his ministry did not abandon former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia as being claimed by the former striker.

Siasia had claimed that he was abandoned by Dare and the ministry after his FIFA ban for alleged match-fixing.

John Joshua-Akanji, Special Adviser (Media) to the minister said in a statement in Abuja that contrary to insinuations by Siasia that he was abandoned, the minister actually raised money for him.

He added that the Minister responded positively by taking the matter of his plight to the attention of individuals and organizations to intervene.

“The ministry, through the Minister, was able to raise the money which Siasia personally collected while he was also connected to persons and entities who raised money to assist him in appealing his case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

“In response to a concerted appeal launched by the Minister, the Governors of Lagos, Edo and Delta made available money which was handed over to Siasia at different times.

“A couple of individuals, at the instance of the Minister, also raised money which was handed to him in cash,” Joshua-Akanji said.

He said the minister also rallied around to ensure Siasia was given a fair hearing.

“The Minister stayed on top of the case by pulling all strings to assist Siasia.

“In addition to the governors of Edo, Delta, and Lagos, he (Dare) made an appeal to Gov. Kayode Fayemi who is the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor.

“In another instance, the Minister took Siasia on a visit to the then Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, to appeal for support for him.

“Siasia’s claim that government did nothing to assist him is untrue, deceitful, and misleading.

“While there are no budgetary provisions for such incidents, the Ministry and the Office of the Minister gave Siasia all the support that led to the mitigation of his life ban from football-related activities,” Joshua-Akanji added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Siasia had recently claimed that he did not get the necessary support from certain groups, except a few friends and governors.

He listed these groups as the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and other stakeholders.

CAS recently upturned Siasia’s life ban by FIFA to five years, after he filed an appeal at the global sports court.

(NAN)

Kano Pillars’ new high-profile signing, Ahmed Musa, is set to miss over 80 percent of the team’s away matches as the second stanza of the Nigeria Professional Football League begins April 28.

The announcement of the Super Eagles captain as Pillars’ new signing elicited excitement among fans of the domestic league, but our correspondent learnt that the former Leicester City forward told the club’s management in clear terms that he would not be available for away games.

Chairman of the club Surajo Yahaya confirmed that although the player would be available for every home fixture, he would not be part of most of their away games.

“Ahmed Musa is a big player and at the moment we know the economic situation of the country and the bad roads in some regions. He is going to honour all our home matches and if there is an available flight in the state we have an away game, then he is going to attend,” Yahaya told journalists.

“He did not say that he’s totally going to be unavailable for our games on the road, but he is going to attend those matches by flight, but for the games that are close by, like a game at Katsina or Bauchi, he is ready to go. But we need to provide good facilities for him,” Yahaya added.

With the revelation, Musa is expected to make his debut for Pillars on May 5, when the Sai Masu Gida welcomes Enyimba. He’ll miss the team’s next two games against Warri Wolves and Plateau United.

Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur.

Mourinho was sacked Monday morning, six days before Tottenham contest the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

The 58-year-old multiple league winner in England, Italy, and Spain has seen a downturn in his team’s fortunes since the turn of the year and Tottenham are in danger of missing out on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.