Giwa urges Falconets to look beyond defeat, promises bonus parity

By Albert Akota

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Chris Giwa has enjoined the Falconets to look beyond the 0-1 loss to Germany in their opening group D match played at Saint Malo, France at the ongoing FIFA Under-20 Women World cup.
The Falconets lost to 2010 champions, Germany in a very tough and explosive encounter, despite throwing all they had into the match.
‘You still have two more games against Haiti and China to make amends and pick one of the two slots in Group D ,and we have confidence in your ability to excel, ’Amb Giwa stated.
The NFF President noted:’ Falling is not what matters, but ability to rise from the ashes of defeat and redefine yourself, especially, when people have written you off’.
‘I want you to remain focused, determined and confident that it is not over, until it is over in football, and i know God will grant you the grace and favour to succeed,’ he posited.
Amb.Giwa finally assured the team: ‘On our part be rest assured your allowances and bonuses will be paid, as we demonstrated with the Flying Eagles when they defeated Mauritanian in Lagos.’
The Falconets will next take on Haiti on Thursday before wrapping up the group game against China on August 13.
He however promised to enthrone a policy of bonus and allowance parity in the national teams to elicit the same level of commitment, and dedication across board and checkmate any shred of perceived welfare disparity on the basis of gender or classification.
Amb. Giwa, who was reacting to the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung’s recent comment after his visit to the Falconets camp in Austria, that it was unfair to treat national team players welfare with disparity on the basis of gender, said he had watched from outside this sad development and has an opportunity now as an insider to bring about change to this policy.
‘ Most importantly, we have restored payment of allowances and bonuses to all age group teams, like what obtained during the era of Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, Sani Lulu and Aminu Maigiri, which also was a period of great achievements for the country in age-group competitions, which was surprisingly stopped in the last three years, ’Amb.Giwa stated.
‘We want to adopt a more holistic, sustainable and enduring policy on the issues of bonus, allowance, estacode and travelling logistics, and arrive at bonus and allowance parity, where no team or group feels discriminated against, on the basis of gender or age. But first, we will present it before the board, get it approval, and then agree with the congress, before making the details public.’