"Players bribe coaches to play for National teams" - Taye Taiwo

Super Eagles’ former defender, Taye Taiwo, yesterday revealed what many followers of Nigerian football have long suspected when he said national team coaches collect bribe from players to include them in their teams.

Taiwo, a free agent after terminating his contract with Turkish team, Bursaspor, told French website, Footafrica365.fr, that he has not been in the national team because he refused to pay for a call up.

The former AC Milan defender is currently in France looking for another club, but he says he might go back to Italy as some teams, including Fiorentina, are interested in him. He also has the choice of joining a Gulf State team.

On a possible return to the Super Eagles, Taiwo said: “I’m not going to be among the players, who owe their selection to gifts to the coach. In Nigeria, it still happens that way, unfortunately.”

Taiwo is not the first to accuse Nigerian coaches of collecting bribe before inviting players to camp.

Former Super Eagles’ Coach, Clemence Westerhof, in 2013 caused an uproar when he alleged that players bribed their way into the national team.

In an interview published by SuperSport then, Westerhof said those players who did not merit a place in the national team got call-ups after giving money to the selectors.

“We had a situation where we had the wrong people in the wrong places, even in the (Nigeria) FA”.

Even though the Dutchman was not specific with the names of the players and coaches involved, he insisted that monies usually exchanged hands between national team selectors and the players when places in the national team were considered.

“We had cases where players paid $15,000 to the coach and say ‘I want to play for the national team’ and the coach would accept. They bought their way into the national team and it was an unbelievable situation. I know these things,” Westerhof said.

Credit: Nigerian Tribune