YSFON faults exclusion from FIFA palliative

The Edo Chapter Chairman of the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), Osamudiame Osagede, has bemoaned the exclusion of the body from the Covid-19 palliative which FIFA gave all football associations across the globe.

Osagede made his view known in  Benin on Thursday.

The Edo YSFON chair, who commended the world football body for the gesture, however, said that the exclusion of YSFON from sharing out of the largesse almost rubbished the essence of the gesture.

Osagede noted that this was so because in Nigeria YSFON oversees the development of the round leather game at the grassroots.

He stressed that those at the grassroots suffered the most during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It was with shock that we received the news of our non-inclusion from the FIFA Covid-19 palliative and we thought this should not have been so.

“In actual fact, with our critical role in football development, especially at the grassroots, ours should have been a matter of consideration like football clubs that benefitted from the largesse.

“This is so because we suffered from the pandemic as much as the clubs and football associations that were considered for the palliative,’’ the YSFON Chair said.

Nigeria Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick last October confirmed the receipt of one million dollars from FIFA as a palliative for the coronavirus pandemic.