Guardian

FORMER Chairman of Gombe State Football Association, Shuaib Gara Gombe has accused the Federal Government of encouraging corruption among sports administrators through their deliberate delay in releasing funds to the sports sector.

Gombe, who revealed how he bailed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) out of cash drought during the last African Cup of Nations, regretted that the late release of fund to the NFF and other sports federations encourages the administrators to borrow money to prosecute championships, adding that they could in turn do some phony deals in the process of borrowing the money without explanation to anybody.

Gombe urged the Federal Government to increase its yearly subventions to the sports sector, noting that the continuously poor funding of sports has forced the administrators to take to borrowing and in the process corruptly enrich themselves.

“If there were no adequate preparations and the required fund was not released on time, there is no amount of prayers that could save the team. We should not forget that other teams also pray to the same God. We must do the right thing at the right time,” he noted.

Defending his new romance with the federation, Gombe revealed how his intervention saved Nigeria from the South African High Commission’s embarrassing denial of visas to the Nigerian contingent to the 2013 AFCON, adding that he also had to lend $60,000 to the federation to settle the contingent’s accommodation.

Gombe said, “when they were going for the Nations Cup, they budgeted about N1.4 billion and out of the total sum, N900 million was approved to them. But what eventually got to them was not even up to the amount approved for them.

“Out of the N700 million that got to them, four days to their departure to the tournament, the federation was yet to receive a dime of that money.

“I have been avoiding to say it, but let me tell you that as at the time they were about to leave for the Nations Cup, apart from the team officially accredited and given accommodation by CAF, the other stakeholders going to South Africa were denied visas by the South Africa High Commission. They insisted that the federation must bring a fully paid hotel reservation for the contingent.

“But because they didn’t have money to pay, I assisted them with $30,000, which I deposited in a hotel to get the clearance letter to the South Africa High Commission. We worked very hard to get the letter across to them in the midnight. They also said that before the continent arrived in South Africa, the balance of that money must be paid. I had to raise another $30,000 to pay, otherwise it would have been impossible for them to secure accommodation. It took them up to our third match before I could get the refund of my money.

“The federation did not also pay the $200,000 or thereabout they were to pay for using the camp in Faro, Portugal, and they almost stopped them from leaving the camp. They had to use their contacts somewhere to borrow the money before they could leave. I never knew they had all these challenges before now.

“What this means is that with the delay in government releasing the fund for national assignments, they are bringing and encouraging corruption in sports. The persons involved will look for the money elsewhere and make claims. They must give them money as at when due,” he added.