So the NFF has made their judgment and sentencing on Coach Salisu. Some see the sanction as a soft landing, others feel otherwise.
If you ask me…
Okay first our (myself and some journalists) conversation on the matter when we chatted about it:
+234 809 94: “Coach Salisu banned from all football activities a yr & handed $5000 fine. This gives him the opportunity to still lead us to the Olympics. I think this is not good enough”
Ediale: “He shouldn’t be killed. We all deserve a second chance. Are we all that perfect? No”.
+234 803 22: “$5k is small. He should be banned like 10yrs”
Ediale: “No a year is just appropriate. Even 6months. Truth is this is just a technical ban for life. Nigerians won’t forget this easily and in a nation where we have more people queuing up for their turns. Salisu will find it hard to be relevant again after 1year. So I think 1year is just fine”
+234 809 94: “No one is killing anyone. He should be banned from all football related activities minimum 3/4yrs. Stripped-down from coaching Any of The National team. However This is Nigeria”
Ediale: “He isn’t coming to coach any team in Nigeria again. We should know that. He is going to club football. It’s a given”
+234 809 94: “1yr & $5k is not a deterrent enough”
+234 809 94: “We’d still be alive”
Ediale: “It is. One year he won’t earn. One year he will still pay 5000 dollars. It’s enough”
Ediale: “How many years was Amos Adamu banned?”
Ediale: Just 3 years. Where is Amos Adamu now?”
+234 802 97: “FIFA extend Kwesi Nyantakyi’s ban”
+234 809 94: “Na u b Accountant for NFF abi”
Ediale: “Bro I no need be NFF accountant. We know.”
Ediale: “EXTEND means extend.”
Ediale: “Kwesi was ban for just 90 days. And the extension is additional 45 days. So 45+90 days…Still not up to a year.”
+234 802 97: “Am only telling u that they have not decided on what to do”
Ediale: “Ok..”
…so that was it.
Now, I do really feel we all deserve a second chance. Especially if it’s not a murder case!
Let’s compare three alleged soccer corruption cases…
– Kwesi Nyantakyi, was Ghanaian football administrator, president of the Ghana Football Association until 7 June 2018. Allegations and corruption controversies led to Nyantakyi’s resignation on June 8, 2018 as the president of the Ghana Football Association. The unfortunate incident was reported after an Executive Committee meeting of the Ghana Football Association. The resignation is believed to have resulted from a provisional ban placed on Nyantakyi for a period of 90 days by the chairperson of the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee of FIFA. The ban is expected to restrict Nyantakyi’s involvement in any football activities at both national and international levels. It was further extended by FIFA for 45 days. (So this bros got just 90 + 45 days)
– Sam Allardyce was criticized for alleged corruption and was twice the subject of undercover investigations. In September 2006, he and his son, Craig, were implicated in a BBC Panorama documentary for taking bribes, allegations which they denied. In September 2016, undercover Daily Telegraph reporters posing as businessmen recorded him offering to help them to get around FA third party ownership rules and provisionally agreeing a £400,000 contract. Following the Daily Telegraph investigation, Allardyce resigned as England manager in a mutual agreement with the Football Association on 27 September. (All it took was a respectful resignation…but people hardly resign in this part of the world. They stay glued to their job even though they know it’s scandalous to bribe their way into forging NYSC certificates * no matter what you say, I will not mention the Finance Minister’s name, so don’t try *)
– Even Amos Adamu was not killed. He was ‘technically dealt’ with. Bros received a three-year ban and 10,000 Swiss franc fine from FIFA Ethics Committee after being found guilty of breaching bribery rules. In February 2017 the FIFA Ethics Committee further extended the ban for two years. (Okay so that’s 3+2 years, so officially he is free to come back to football since February 2019, but like I said… Nigerians don’t forget that easily…or better put the internet doesn’t forget…so he won’t be back. But Adamu, despite being off football has found a way to be involved. Not by himself, but his son has been the chief executive officer of COPA LAGOS BEACH SOCCER).