Sunday Oliseh Blows Hot, Blasts NFF for "Issue" at Peter Rufai’s Burial
- Sunday Oliseh has faulted the Nigeria Football Federation for not attending the burial of Super Eagles legend Peter Rufai
- The former Super Eagles captain said the burial was not done in a way a personality like Rufai deserved
- Oliseh and Rufai were teammates and were part of the Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 AFCON for Nigeria
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The burial of former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai is still causing controversy in the Nigerian football circle, and Sunday Oliseh is the latest ex-international who has spoken up.
Legendary goalkeeper Rufai sadly passed in July and was buried on August 22 in Lagos in a funeral that was attended by several ex-internationals, state delegates, and government officials.
Source: Getty Images
In the aftermath of the burial, former Super Eagles defender Taribo West came under the spotlight after he berated the government for not giving the legendary goalkeeper a grand burial.
He further complained about the poor welfare of ex-internationals, as he claimed they are not properly being taken care of by the government after they served the country.
Taribo’s comments triggered backlash as the former Inter Milan and AC Milan defender was publicly condemned by many as they claimed former players were paid for their service.
Sunday Oliseh blasts NFF after Rufai’s burial
Meanwhile, Sunday Oliseh has added his voice to the growing list of ex-internationals who are displeased with the organisation and handling of the burial of legendary goalkeeper Rufai, Nigerian Bulletin reports.
Source: Getty Images
The former Super Eagles captain slammed top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for not attending the burial of the former Stationary Stores goalkeeper.
In a podcast conversation with Omotoyosi Adebanjo on YouTube, Oliseh argued the
“The issue at stake is that one of our players who excelled in serving Nigeria has died, his funeral service was there and I saw the guest list.
“The President of the NFF was not present. The Vice President of the NFF was not present. The Secretary-General of the NFF was not present. And what I’m hearing is that they said they sent a delegation.
“What has our federation president has to do than to attend the burial of one of our biggest legends ever to play football for Nigeria?”
Oliseh further claimed Rufai’s funeral should have been taken charge of by the federation, comparing it to the state funeral of Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu.
Speaking further, Oliseh further revealed that many retired players struggle to find a life outside the sport after calling time on their careers, GWG reports.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Juventus midfielder stressed that Nigerian football has failed to provide long-term security or opportunities for those who once brought glory to the nation.
Oliseh preaches unity among ex-players
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that Oliseh has picked on his former colleagues and named them as the major culprits in the problems facing ex-internationals.
Oliseh noted that the lack of unity in their midst is key to how they are perceived by others and treated by the government, citing the example of why he missed the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Source: Legit.ng
