The second batch of Team Nigeria’s contingent to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics departed Nigeria on Tuesday for the team’s Pre-Games training camp in Kisarazu, Japan, The PUNCH reports.

Our correspondent gathered that the team, which comprises 22 athletes and 20 officials, left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight 12:50pm on Tuesday.

The contingent has competitors from athletics, taekwondo and wrestling including their coaches and other officials.

The PUNCH had reported that the first batch of athletes which was made up of two athletes, two coaches and six officials in the rowing and canoeing events left the Abuja airport on June 6.

This was after the advance team of the sports ministry had left Nigeria a day earlier.

The third batch comprising badminton players will leave the country on June 17, while the final batch,  which will also includes the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, will depart Nigeria on June 19.

The Nigeria Football Federation has blamed the challenges and disruptions caused by the global coronavirus pandemic caused for not paying outstanding bonuses and allowances of the coaches and players of the senior men national team, Super Eagles, as well as salaries owed the coaches of the team.

NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, made this known in a statement on Wednesday, titled, “Why NFF assures on payment of outstanding bonuses of Super Eagles, coaches’ salaries”.

He said the effect of the pandemic is still being felt by government institutions and businesses, and “there was no need to pretend that these are normal times .

He said, “The NFF deserves no joy in owing players and coaches their entitlements. The same players and coaches have been well-taken-care of and provided the necessary facilities when things were normal, and as we work assiduously towards conquering the present challenges and seeing sunlight again, we expect the players, coaches and administrative staff to show the same level of understanding that they have been showing over the past 18 months.

“Of course, we are pragmatists and we realize that these things can be frustrating and some people will boil over and talk about them. It is normal. Last month, during the friendlies in Austria, we were able to pay some of the outstanding bonuses and allowances. We are working
at a pace presently to clear what is remaining. As I speak, we are owing the team bonuses and allowances from only the last two matches, and payments for these two games have been sent to the Central Bank some weeks ago. They will receive the monies shortly. We are equally working to pay the coaches what they are being owed as salaries.”

Sanusi’s comments were in direct reference to a statement credited to Super Eagles defender, Leon Balogun, on Tuesday, who said NFF owes the players bonuses and allowances.

“We have never denied owing the team. Leon is a senior player that everyone respects for his quality output on the pitch and calmness and forbearance off it, but I do not know which reports he was referring to when he said the NFF was contradicting itself.”