Osun United’s €10,000 gain from Odion Ighalo’s loan to Manchester United has been moved into the account of the state’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, the club media officer Tajudeen Amodu has explained.
The management of the Nigerian second division club is being probed by the Osun State House of Assembly over the alleged diversion of the financial gain from Ighalo’s return to England.
Being the first professional club the 31-year-old played for in his career, Osun United received €10,000 as their share after his move from China’s Shanghai Shenhua to Old Trafford in January this year.
Contrary to other media reports, Amodu claimed the money has not been spent but it was moved from the club’s account to the government’s account under the watch of the state’s Ministry of Youth and Sports.
“When a new board is appointed there should be a change of signatories to the club’s account but it’s under processing until the lockdown started,” Amodu told Goal.com yesterday.
“Those who were part of the immediate past administration, some of them are still signatories to the account and they are the ones that signed for the release of the money.
“Those people, we can say they are heavily involved in the Ighalo money because they have to sign before the money is removed from the coffers of Osun United, all of them are working together and the money is in the custody of the commissioner.
“They signed for the release of the money to the government purse, initially some people would have embezzled it but they signed to put in the hands of the commissioner which is the account of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Osun State.”
After three months without receiving their salaries, Amodu confirmed the Government of Osun State has started paying all outstanding dues to the players of Osun United and Osun Babes on Wednesday.
“Majority of the players of Osun United, Osun Babes and the contract coaches have started receiving their outstanding salaries since Wednesday,” he added.
“Though the salaries were suspended in July, but the special intervention of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Sports, and through the support of the National Association of Nigerian Professional Footballers, the SWAN (Osun State chapter) who waded into the issue when it started.
The governor has rescinded his earlier decision and the players have started receiving their outstanding three months salaries,” the media officer clarified yesterday.
