By Our Correspondent

The National Association of Nigeria Footballers, NANF, have disagreed with Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick on how the expected $500, 000 FIFA grant would be used, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

The NANF said in a statement on Tuesday that the position of the NFF on how the grant will be used where “twisted facts and half truth being played out to divert attention from the funds to prepare grounds for its disappearance

In the release signed by the unions president, Harrison Jalla, NANF restates its position that the fund is a palliative to the Nigeria Football Federation and it must be so applied to all relevant sectors particularly all tiers of the professional clubs to cushion the effect to meet serious demands of contracts and wages of players or in the alternative be invested in specific areas of football development for all Nigerians to see.

The statement titled “$500,000 FIFA MONEY IS COVID 19 PALLIATIVE NANF INSIST- NFF UNDER YOUR WATCH IS ONE OF THE MOST CORRUPT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PARASTATAL- REJOINDER TO AMAJU PINNICK POSITION ON FIFA RELIEF FUND” reads:

NANF states emphatically that President of the NFF Amaju Pinnick’s position on its twitter handle regarding the $500,000 FIFA covid 19 palliative where twisted facts and half truth being played out to divert attention from the funds to prepare grounds for its disappearance.

The NANF restates its position that the fund is a palliative to the Nigeria Football Federation and it must be so applied to all relevant sectors particularly all tiers of the professional clubs to cushion the effect to meet serious demands of contracts and wages of players or in the alternative be invested in specific areas of football development for all Nigerians to see.

The NFF under Amaju Pinnick has not been frugal with resources accruing to football whether from FIFA , Federal government, States government or sponsors. Why is Pinnick trying to deceive Nigerians that the $500,000 to the NFF from FIFA is not a palliative?

This is Gianni Infantino the FIFA president himself speaking a few days back and we quote “The pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges for the entire football community and, as the world governing body, it is FIFA’s duty to be there and support the ones that are facing acute needs

“This starts by proving immediate financial assistance to our member Associations, many which are experiencing severe financial distress. “This is the first step of a far-reaching financial relief plan we are developing to respond to the emergency across the whole football community

“Together with our stakeholders, we are assessing the losses and we are working on the most appropriate and effective tools to implement the other stages of this relief plan”

“I would like to thank the chairpersons of the FIFA development committee, Shaikh salmon, Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, and the FIFA finance committee, Alejandro Dominiguez, for their commitment and urgent approval of these measures by their committees”

The FIFA president Mr Gianni Infantino was very clear an unambiguous in his statement that this is the first step of further relief funds.

Amaju Pinnick’ss position on his twitter handle is completely at variance with the FIFA president statement on the palliative. It is also important to make it clear to Nigerians that FIFA is not doing Nigeria any favour. The allocations of these funds is a matter of right it has nothing to do with anybody’s special connection.

Nigeria is a part owner of the commonwealth of FIFA. The NFF under Pinnick’s watch has never kept to the guidelines on how it applies statutory allocated funds from FIFA.

The insinuation by Pinnick that Hon. Minister Sunday Dare is being carried along is to shut him up which his Board has succeeded in doing since he assumed office as Minister of sports. It’s therefore foolhardy for Pinnick to preach transparency and accountability, where is the 2018 FIFA world cup grant to Nigeria? The Delta state Government was alleged to have spent over 2.5B in the recent past in hosting super Eagles matches these funds never reflected or passed through any of the NFF accounts. Yet NFF pride itself of being audited by Pricewater cooper (PWC)

HARRISON JALLA president

(NANF)