January 9 – The Nigerian government has stepped into the row over unpaid bonuses for Super Eagles players at the currrent Africa Cup of Nations, saying that it has approved and released the bonuses which should be in players’ bank accounts today and ahead of their quarter final clash with Algeria on Saturday.
The bonuses cover the players up to and including the Round of 16 match and are estimated to be $30,000 per player.
Bonus disputes have been commonplace in African national team football with federations often refusing to pay their players for participation at major tournaments, including the World Cup. This has created a climate of distrust and seen players threaten not to train or play before bonuses had been paid in advance.
Nigerian players refused to travel for the Brazil World Cup in 2014 before appearance fees had been paid, and rumours of unpaid bonuses surfaced again at the 2023 AFCON.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, blamed the payment hold-up on foreign exchange issues, saying that issues with Nigeria’s economy often resulted in dollar shortages which can slow down international transfers.
Following Nigeria’s comfortable 4-0 win over Mozambique earlier this week, players began to voice concern over the delayed payments
Captain Wilfried Ndidi even offered to guarantee the bonuses personally so that players would train for Saturday’s quarter final.
Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup but so far have a 100% record in Morocco.
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