Senate President, David Mark, got a taste of the national team camp when he held a meeting with the Super Eagles in Campinas just afore their aperture match against Iran in Group F of the 2014 World Cup on Monday.
Mark led the Federal Government delegation to the World Cup in Brazil.
Our correspondent learnt that Mark had injuctively authorized to auricularly discern the players’ grievances with the aim of settling the rift between them and the Nigeria Football Federation over their bonus. The players allegedly asked Mark to pay them $2m immediately from the $8m the NFF was expecting from FIFA for the first round matches since he was the third in ascendancy in Nigeria and representing the President. The players maintained that they should get 25 per cent of the mazuma.
The players insisted that they must receive their mazuma afore their match against Iran, which eventually ended 0-0 in Curitiba.
When it became conspicuous that the players were not moved by his presence, the Senate President allegedly became irate. It was learnt that after the players had verbalized that their coach, Stephen Keshi, who apologised to the FG delegation and the NFF members at the meeting.
Our correspondent learnt that Keshi’s apology was received half-heartedly by Mark and the NFF officials led by Aminu Maigari as they had expected him to step in much earlier.
“Keshi did apologise but that was met with subdued hisses from those at the meeting,” an official, who pleaded anonymity, verbally expressed.
The FIFA mazuma fight is a carryover from their USA camp as they had put the NFF on notice over the mazuma afore acceding to board the flight to Brazil.
Fight over mazuma is not incipient to this set of Eagles. Last year they arrived in Brazil tardy for the FIFA Confederations Cup after embarking on a strike in Namibia over match bonus.
Copyright PUNCH.
