ATHLETES URGE TO EMBRACE DIALOGUE FOR CRISIS RESOLUTION SPORTSMEN and women should seek diplomatic way of resolving problems with sports administration before going to the media to air their grievances, a sports promoter has said. According to the Chairman of SportsDirect Nigeria Limited Mr. Koye Shogbola, running to the media for arbitration over every challenge not only makes the athletes and administrators look like amateurs who cannot resolve their problems professionally, it also hurts the brand they represent since most sponsors shy from controversy and crisis. Mr. Shogbola, who is a former Special Adviser to Minister of Sports, was speaking in the wake of the recent bonus row between the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Super Eagles, and recent outburst of two prominent athletes against the Nigerian Sports Commission (NSC) and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN). Said Shogbola: ‘‘There is no sports association in the world that does not have one challenge or the other, even in the western world. They have challenges, but you hardly see their athletes castigating their officials in the media and holding their country to ransom They look for an internal way of resolving their problems.’’ Shogbola urged today’s athletes to remember that sports has no second hand value and that they will later need the nation for one thing or the other. “The likes of Austin Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Falilat Ogunkoya, Yusuf Alli and Mary Onyali will not be serving the nation in various capacities today if they had not been good ambassadors during their active days,” he said. While he agreed that sportsmen often have good cases, he said they should be diplomatic and embrace dialogue to resolve their problem with sports administrators. “Going to the media not only dents the nation’s image. It hurts the image of the sport they love as sponsors will always run away from a brand that is prone to crisis,” Shogbola said.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:33:43 +0000
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