It’s our curses that caught Adamu – athletics coach

By Ben Efe

Athletics coach, Tobias Igwe has sensationally claimed that it was the curse he placed on Amos Adamu that led to his down fall from the executive committee of the world soccer governing body, FIFA.

Adamu was last week given the marching orders by FIFA, after being named in a cash for vote world cup bid scandal.

Coach Igwe alleged that it was nemesis that caught up with the former director-general of the National Sports Commission.

Amos Adamu

“In 1996 he denied me my N100,000 allowance due to me from the Atlanta’96 Games. I wrote several letters to have him pay me the money, but there was nothing coming from him.

“It’s not just me alone, there are other poor people he denied their rights. It is my curse and those of others that have just caught up with him,” said the coach yesterday.

He sounded a warning to other sports administrators who according to him have denied athletes and coaches their entitlements.

“Just because you are in position of power, you denied other people what rightly belongs to them. This is something that is common in our sports, but nemeses will always catch up with whoever deny poor people their dues.

“We the coaches and athletes are working very hard to bring honor to this country. And it is not fair that someone with the stroke of the pen could cancel out the benefits of others.”

In 1996 coach Igwe was one of the coaches selected for the Atlanta’96 Olympics. But on the eve of departure he was arrested after he was implicated in the theft of the electronics score board at the National Stadium Lagos. However, he was discharged and acquitted after a four-month ordeal at Kirikiri prison.

“I was framed by certain individuals who never wanted to see my face. But I went to my house and prayed that those who caused my predicament will be paid back in a bigger measure,” said the coach.