The Case Of The Japanese Plastic Surgeon, A Suitcase Full Of Money, And The Nigerian Olympic Team
Photo by Pedro Vilela/GettyThe Nigeria men’s U23s had a tumultuous run in the Olympics. But it looks like they’re getting a happy ending.
First, they found themselves stranded at the airport in Atlanta after the Nigerian government and the Nigerian Football Federation didn’t pay up for their charter flight. They ended up spending several days in Atlanta, and only made it to Brazil mere hours before their first group stage match in the Olympic tournament against Japan.
They won that game and ended up topping the group. But their run in the tournament was threatened again when they threatened to boycott their quarterfinal match against Denmark unless they were paid what they were promised, mostly performance bonuses and per diems. (This isn’t the first time this has happened.) With all these financial and logistical issues, there was serious doubt that the Olympic Eagles would be able to finish their run at the 2016 Games.
Mr. Takasu is a successful plastic surgeon based in Tokyo. He has something of a reputation for stepping in as a benefactor for beleaguered sports teams and “other notable causes,” as he says. When the Nigerians’ plight became international headlines, he hopped on a plane bound for Rio.
Once there, he linked up with the team and offered $200,000 to cover the outstanding pay from the NFF. He also offered bonuses on top of that depending on how well they do in the tournament.
Nigeria progressed to the semifinals, where they lost to Germany 2-0. They did, however, beat Honduras 3-2 in the subsequent third place game and earned the Bronze medal for the men’s soccer tournament. As it happened, this would be the only Medal-winning performance from the Nigerian delegation at the 2016 Olympics.
Those Bronze medals won them about $10,000 per player on the 18-man roster from Mr. Takasu.