FWWC 2023:Dalung hails Super Falcons,slam FIFA for hypocrisy

By Glory U.C

Former Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports,Barr.Solomon Dalung,has hailed the gallant Nigeria’s senior women football team,the Super Falcons for putting up bravery and resilience in the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hoste by Australia and New Zealand.

Dalung,made his remarks shortly after the Nigerian team lost narrowly to European Champions England in Brisbane,Australia,via penalty shoot out after a pulsating goaless draw.

Speaking,during a global live broadcast where he featured as guest at the Eagle Eye News24 flagship programme:Nigeria@Dawn,commended the Falcons for putting up a superlative performance.

Responding on why the Falcons lost to former colonial masters England,he said that:

“Nigeria lost today as a result of inferiority complex.We can all see that whenever we are in contest with England they always try to impose that superiorism over Nigeria,just check the records.

Our defeat has nothing to do with technical defiency from the coaches.It was basically a complex problem”.

The former Youths and Sports Minister felt vindicated over crisis of players allowances while not also sparing the World Football governing body,describing them as ‘hypocrites’.

Saying:The Federation of International Football Association(FIFA)is the highest portrayal of hypocrisy.

“If you are looking for hypocrites in the world just go to Zurich,the headquarters of FIFA.Even if it is a messenger you meet at the gate you would have got a hypocrite.

So when I heard that Fatima(FIFA Scribe),saying that FIFA is going to pay the Super Falcons directly to their bank accounts during a dressing room interaction with the girls,I was relieved because the pains this girls are going through.I mean if you have human conscience and compassion you will shed tears.

When I was in office as Minister of Sports,I visited them when they were camping in Austria for a World Cup outing.I demanded to have private audience with them and when they started opening up to me about their ordeal,I didn’t know when I started shedding tears,part of what this young girls told me was that for eight months they were not paid.They said to me daddy,do you know that sometimes it got so bad that we have to ask our coaches to assist us with money to buy toiletries.It was at that point I broke down because my daughter could face such a situation.

I know how difficult it is for a woman to share such private experience and if she has been exposed to be in camp and can’t afford toiletries how would she cope.So this are some of the terrible experiences our girls go through.

And before the commencement of the FIFA World Cup,there were this issue of players bonuses and allowances but NFF kept denying it.I think the Super Falcons did marvelously to get to the knock-out stage even though their lose to England I was quite unhappy”.