Sports

Rangers offer Okpala half pay

WHEN Sylvanu Okpala was employed three years ago as  assistant coach to then Enugu Rangers Chief coach, Christian Chukwu, little did he know that his employers would treat him with such disdain as they are doing now.

•CHARTING A NEW PART: Sylvanus Okpala discussing with Anambra State governor Peter Obi. He is still being owed by Rangers.

The former Green Eagles player told Saturday Vanguard Sports that while other coaches have been paid their salaries, he was given half of his salary and asked to sign a document stating that he has been fully paid. However, Okpala refused.

“Rangers are still  owing me. They paid everybody they were owing but they have not paid me. When Radio Nigeria was making noise about it, they said in the news that they have my money and waiting to give to me. When I went there to collect the money as they said, they showed me a cheque that is not up to the money they were supposed to pay me. I told them this was not my money but I will collect what they were giving me. I told them  that the money was  not enough. To my  greatest surprise,  they brought a letter to me and said for me to collect the cheque, I must sign  that they have paid me all my entitlement .

I disagreed and told them to give me the one they wanted to give, they refused and  insisted  that unless I sign that they have paid me, they will not  release the cheque to me.  I refused and went away, that was last year. Since then they have not paid me up till  now.

“I have been talking to them on same issue and even went  to the arbitration  court. They came there in the defense of the case at the end I won. NFA wrote Rangers telling them to pay but they still refused”, he said.