Nigeria’s Sports Minister Reacts After Samson Siasia Claimed FG Abandoned Him Over FIFA Ban

• Samson Siasia was initially handed a life-time ban from all football related activities by the world’s football governing body FIFA
• The sanction has however been reduced to five years and Siasia claimed that his ex-teammates and Nigerian government abandoned him
• Nigeria’s sports minister Sunday Dare has however responded that Siasia is being economical with the truth

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The minister for youth and sports development, Sunday Dare, has reacted to claims by former Super Eagles handler Samson Siasia that the federal government abandoned him during turbulent times.

Siasia received a life time ban from football related activities after the world’s football governing body FIFA claimed he was guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches.

FIFA also in their judgment, claimed that they sent a mail to Samson Siasia for him to defend himself which he failed to attend to even though the coach denied seeing any message.

The sanction was however reduced to a five-year-ban following Siasia’s appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

In his reaction, Siasia who was part of the Africa Cup of Nations squad of 1994 alleged that his former teammates as well as sports ministry had abandoned him during the life ban period.

He said via The Cable:

“The most disappointing moments were when your colleagues that you played with never called you to ask you how you’re doing.

“The minister for sports came in few weeks after my ban. And the minister called me and said, ‘coach, I know about your problem, but we don’t have money.’”

In his reaction on Monday, Dare said Siasia “was not telling the truth” while alleging that he received “cash” from the ministry.

The minister also claimed that the federal government “will come out with the facts” that show the ministry helped the former Super Eagles forward through those turbulent times. Sunday Dare said:

“Siasia is not telling the truth, and the ministry and the FG will come out with the facts. Of the cash he collected, of the efforts we made. He is not telling the truth.”

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has finally fulfilled the promise of 27 years to the Super Eagles legends who won the Africa Cup of Nations title in Tunisia in 1994.

The team also went ahead to qualify Nigeria for their maiden FIFA World Cup appearance which they crashed out at the round of 16 after a 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the United States.

After triumphing on the continent over two decades ago, the federal government promised them houses for making the country proud in the North African country.