Hottestgistnaija.com
A Japanese plastic surgeon Katsuya Takasu has donated $200,000 to Nigeria’s Olympic football team with promise of bonus after discovering they were cash strapped.
Dr. Takasu also promised each player a $30,000 bonus if they win gold, $20,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.
Takasu hopes to see whether his “special donation” has an impact when Nigeria face Germany in the semi-final on Wednesday.
“I hope to see them win gold,” he told the BBC. “They’ve sacrificed a lot to get to Brazil and reach the semi-finals.
“Humans with such a strong spirit should be encouraged to perform beyond their own imagination.”
And Takasu revealed that this is not the first time he has donated money to a sporting cause.
“I’ve made previous donations to a Japanese hockey team and other notable causes in the past.
“But this right now with Nigeria is incredibly passionate for me.
“I am deeply determined to motivate this indomitable and strong Nigerian team.
“I don’t want to distract them but to push them further to their target – the gold in Brazil.”
Nigeria’s players boycotted a training session ahead of their quarter-final win over Denmark due to a row over pay.
This news prompted Takasu to step in, with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) insisting they will not get carried away.
“I have been in direct contact with Mr Takasu and impressed by his gesture,” said NFF vice-president Seyi Akinwunmi.
“But we need not get carried away because the integrity of the country is at stake.
“First we must check about this. Significantly, the team has an important game and we need to focus on that.”
Nigeria is billed to play Germany at Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo 17 Aug 2016 -16:00 [Local time 20:00]
