Nwobodo counters Bonfrère over not getting any reward for Atlanta ’96 win with Nigeria

Former Youth and Sports Minister Jim Nwobodo and Dutch coach Johannes “Bonfrère” Jo have given conflicting accounts over the coach’s reward and the alleged disappearance of his Olympic gold medal, 30 years after Nigeria’s Dream Team won football gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Nwobodo, who was Youth and Sports Minister during the military administration of the late General Sani Abacha, was in office when Nigeria defeated Argentina 3-2 in the Olympic final on August 3, 1996, becoming the first African nation to win Olympic football gold.

Bonfrère, who coached the Dream Team, recently said he remains disappointed that the Nigerian government has not recognised or rewarded him for the historic achievement. He also claimed that the gold medal he received after the victory was taken from him while he was with the team.

Nwobodo, however, disputed the coach’s account, saying Abacha fulfilled the promises made to the victorious team and their coach, including the allocation of land. “After beating Argentina in that historical final, Abacha fulfilled the promise. If there was any delay, it must have been from the civil service,” Nwobodo told The PUNCH.

He added: “Abacha said they should be given lands anywhere they wanted and they were all given, including the coach, Bonfrere Jo. That was the golden era of our football and it was called the Dream Team.” Nwobodo also said he was unaware of any complaint from Bonfrère during his tenure as minister.

“Not when I was there. Nobody would have done that if I knew. I couldn’t have allowed it. It was a golden period of our football, and how can I allow somebody who made it possible to be cheated? Something must be wrong,” he said. According to Nwobodo, Bonfrère never reported that he had not received the promised reward or that his medal had been taken.

“He did not complain. If he had, I would have solved it. If Bonfrere Jo had complained to me about the fact that they refused to give him his promise, I would have acted fast,” he said. On the medal, Nwobodo added: “I didn’t know about his medal either. How can someone take his medal and I would keep quiet? I would not do that. If I knew, I would have acted immediately. He never told me.”

Bonfrère, however, maintained that he had made several attempts to draw the government’s attention to the matter, including visits to the Government House. “I have phoned and written to government people and I have been to the Government House two or three times with some other chief, but he didn’t have time to see me,” he said.

The former coach added: “I was there two times in one day at the Government House. I have done many things to contact somebody but didn’t get any reply. And he knows. He was one of the officials who stopped me from going up with my players.” Former Nigeria defender Taribo West, who was part of the 1996 gold-winning squad, had also claimed in a 2023 interview that the land reportedly promised to Bonfrère had been taken over by others.

“The Bonfrere land gift in Lekki Phase 3 was hijacked, and as I speak with you, we are still struggling to make sure the land is given back to him,” Taribo said. He added: “It is only in Nigeria that you labour for something but you won’t be allowed to enjoy the fruits. We have nothing to show for the tournaments we went to, the only thing we get is criticisms in the media.”