Nigeria U20 Women forward, Courtney Dike, has finally declared the reason for her refusal to accept the $7000 bonus given her by the government, stating that it was due to rules governing her status as a student athlete under the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
The NCAA is the governing body of all college sports in the United States of America.
An acceptance of the bonus would have meant losing her almost $35,000 annual football scholarship at the Oklahoma State University under NCAA rules.
Dike, a business accounting major, released her statement via the office of the media officer of the Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday.
“I would like to respond to what I have been reading on the internet about rejecting bonuses,” said Dike.
“I am delighted to play for Nigeria whenever called upon. I knew before leaving for the U-20 World Cup that I would not accept any bonuses.
“Acceptance of prize money is against NCAA regulations (the division 1 collegiate governing body) here in the US, so that is the main reason for rejecting it.
“Knowing this beforehand, I still chose to represent the country because I believed the experience would be more valuable than the money, and I was right,” she said.
Dike scored two goals, including the tournament’s fastest ever goal, as the Falconets reached the final where they lost 1-0 to Germany
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