When 19 year old Courtney Dike, an American based footballer who represented the Nigeria U20 Falconet at their last outing at the women’s World Cup, rejected the $7000 bonus given to her by the government, it was met with mixed reactions. While some people commended her for the act, some people felt she was being proud.
The Oklahoma State University undergraduate after hearing all the different things being said about her on the internet has come out to explain her reason for rejecting the bonus. Here’s what Courtney Dike said: “I would like to respond to what I have been reading on the internet about rejecting bonuses.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.”