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Sports News of Wednesday, 11 August 2021

Source: punchng.com

Pinnick knocks Dalung, hails Dare

NFA president, Amaju Pinnick NFA president, Amaju Pinnick

President, Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has taken a swipe at former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, describing him as “a bulwark and divisive force against Nigerian athletes.”

Pinnick said this in a statement by the Communications Department of the NFF, which was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday.

The NFF boss praised present sports minister Sunday Dare for Nigeria’s performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He said Nigeria’s performance at the Games, which ended on Sunday, gives hope for better performance in Paris in 2024.

“The Nigerian contingent may not have returned with the harvest of medals that many hoped for, but there are bright lights all around and some brilliant individual performances that give hope for the next games in Paris. At the end of the day, the silver and bronze medals earned in Tokyo make the just-ended Olympics Nigeria’s best outing in 13 years. That is commendable,” Pinnick said.

“The sports minister, in his personal capacity, and the ministry of sports as a body worked their socks off. The minister was exemplary; he explained, encouraged and empathised with the athletes as necessary and led the cheer at most of the venues where Nigerian athletes competed.

“He is such a wonderful breath of fresh air from the immediate minister of sports, who rather constituted himself into a bulwark and divisive force against Nigerian athletes at the last Olympics inBrazil. We do not wish to recall his inglorious remarks against the football team when the team was camping in the USA. That football team eventually ended up winning Team Nigeria’s only medal – a bronze – at the Games.”

Pinnick also expressed delight at being part of Nigeria’s success story after discovering bronze medallist Ese Brume as Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission. He also promised that the football team would be at the 2024 Olympics, after missing the just-concluded Tokyo edition.

“I am happy for Ese (Brume) because I played a role in her discovery and nurturing. I am fulfilled at her career progression and I believe she will be there in Paris in three years’ time to win the gold medal.

“I also pledge that our football teams will return to the Games in three years’ time in Paris and compete favourably for the gold medals,” Pinnick added.