Bonfrère Jo Says Nigeria Never Rewarded Him for 1996 Olympic Gold

Former Nigeria Olympic football coach Johannes “Bonfrère” Jo says he has yet to receive recognition or rewards from the Nigerian government for leading the Dream Team to gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Bonfrère guided a star-studded side including Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, Taribo West, Celestine Babayaro, Garba Lawal and Emmanuel Amuneke. Nigeria beat Brazil 4-3 after extra time in the semi-final and defeated Argentina 3-2 in the final to become the first African country to win Olympic football gold. The Dutch coach said many players received rewards, national honours and houses, while he was left out. He also alleged that his Olympic gold medal disappeared after a team official stopped him from joining the players upstairs during the presentation. Now 80, Bonfrère says his repeated calls and messages to relevant authorities have brought no response. He hopes the 30th anniversary of the historic triumph will lead to official recognition of his contribution.

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