Japanese plastic surgeon Katsuya Takasu has revealed what motivated him into his decision to pledge to give almost $1million to the Nigerian Olympic Men’s Football team.
The benefactor is flying to Rio to hand $200,000 (£153,500) to the Nigerian Olympic team, in addition to his promise to pay a $30,000 (£23,000) bonus to each player if they win gold.
Before arriving in Rio, the ‘Dream Team VI’ were held up in Atlanta, USA, because of a problem with the payment for their flight.
Takasu wants to reward the team after hearing about their financial difficulties.
He will pay them $20,000 (£15,350) for silver and $10,000 (£7,680) for bronze.
The 1996 Olympic champions only landed in Brazil just hours before their opening 5-4 win over Japan.
Nigeria had a troubled build-up to their 2-0 quarter-final victory against Denmark in Salvador last weekend – the players boycotted a training session in a dispute over pay.
Takasu told BBC Sport the $200,000 “is a special donation” and “it is better to deliver it to the team personally”.
“I read about the financial problems affecting the team and I felt the need to make a big contribution.”
He added: 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.
“I hope to see them win gold. 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.”
COMMENTS