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Japanese Doctor Hands Nigerian U-23 Team $390,000 Cheque For Their Strong Spirit and Victory At The Rio Olympics!

from: 22 . 08 . 16
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The dust raised by the donation from a Japanese doctor, Katsuya Takasu, to the Nigeria U-23 team for their exploit at the Rio Olympics may have been finally settled.

That indication emerged following the circulation of a picture of the Japanese doctor handing cheques to the duo of Mikel Obi, who is the captain of the team, as well as the Head Coach Samson Siasia.

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Japanese doctor hands cheques to the duo of team captain Mikel Obi and the Head Coach Samson Siasia.

The plastic surgeon cum football enthusiast made a pledge, totaling $390,000.

Japanese doctor Katsuya Takasu wanted to reward the team after hearing about their financial difficulties.

He added: I’ve made previous donations to a Japanese hockey team and other notable causes in the past but this right now with Nigeria is incredibly passionate for me.

“I am deeply determined to motivate this indomitable and strong Nigerian team. I don’t want to distract them but to push them further to their target – the gold in Brazil.

“I hope to see them win gold. They’ve sacrificed a lot to get to Brazil and reach the semi-finals. Humans with such a strong spirit should be encouraged to perform beyond their own imagination.”

Before arriving in Rio, the ‘Dream Team VI’ were held up in Atlanta, USA, because of a problem with the payment for their flight.

The 1996 Olympic champions only landed in Brazil just hours before their opening 5-4 win over Japan.

Nigeria had a troubled build-up to their 2-0 quarter-final victory against Denmark in Salvador last weekend – the players boycotted a training session in a dispute over pay.

“I read about the financial problems affecting the team and I felt the need to make a big contribution,” Takasu told BBC Sport.

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The Nigerian team celebrate their bronze victory at the Rio Olympics.

The Nigerian team however could only win the bronze medal, but were still rewarded for their valiant effort by the doctor.

Victory meant Nigeria has now won gold, silver and bronze from the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament over the past 20 years. They scooped gold in 1996 and picked silver eight years ago, also under Samson Siasia.

Earlier on Saturday, a former Super Eagles goalkeeper and football analyst, Peterside Idah, had raised the alarm that Nigeria Football Federation officials had hijacked the donation made by the Japanese doctor.

The NFF denied the allegation.

Mr.Idah later confirmed that Mr. Takasu had made the donation directly to the beneficiaries at their hotel.




“All is well,” Mr Idah tweeted. “Two cheques have just been handed over to the team. One in Samson Siasia’s name, and the other made out to the name of Mikel.”

In an earlier interview, Mr. Takasu said he made the donation to the players after hearing about their financial crisis.

Mikel and doctor

Japanese doctor Katsuya Takasu and Nigerian team captain Mikel Obi

“I read about the financial problems affecting the team and I felt the need to make a big contribution,” Mr. Takasu told the BBC earlier this week.

The Nigeria U-23 have hugged the headlines on and off the pitch as they braved all odds to make a podium finish at the Olympics.

Continually referred to as ‘miracle workers’ by their coach, the Dream Team VI surprised many with their performance in the face of daunting challenges which included arriving barely hours to their first match in Rio.

The 3-2 win over Honduras on Saturday ensured that Nigeria won its first medal since after the Beijing 2008 Olympics.




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