Nigeria U17s Coach Manu Garba Collects Nine Million Naira Bribe From Osimhen Agent, Lagos Academy; NFF May Fire Coach

Nigeria U17s coach Manu Garba might be sacked by the Nigeria Football Federation after he was financially induced to invite  substandard players to the national team by two football agents.

This is not the first time Garba is being involved in unethical practices. The former Flying Eagles manager was paid N500,000 by ex-Catania player Prince Ogbonna to call up three of his proteges to the Flying Eagles camp in 2015, though the coach failed to honour the agreement after receiving the bribe.

The 50-year-old, who claimed before the start of the Golden Eaglets screening that he was traveling to scout for fresh talents, held a secret meeting in Lagos with Yusuf Shira Ayila, better known as Victor Osimhen’s intermediary, and was paid N5 million to invite five of his players.

A top source told allnigeriasoccer.com : “Shira gave Manu Garba N5 million to invite five players, one million naira per player.  Manu came to Lagos and visited Shira, that was where they negotiated the deal.

“Also, Collins Football Academy, who train at the National Stadium, Surulere, gave him N4 million to invite four players. Manu has sworn that those four players will play at the next World Cup except they fail MRI.

“The information from the NFF now is that they want to sack Manu as what he is doing is too obvious, and appoint one of the Kano Pillars coaches to replace him.”

Apart from the aforementioned agents, a certain intermediary (names withheld) who is extremely close to Manu Garba has several of his players in the Golden Eaglets camp.

But to disguise that fact, the players he represents are allocated dummy/fictitious academies by Garba and his accomplice.

The Nigeria U17s manager was contacted to hear his side of the story but his phone was switched off.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : fifa.com