FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CLEARS SUPER EAGLES BONUS ROW AHEAD OF QUARTER FINAL

By: Gyang Dakwo

The Federal Government has stepped in to end the dispute over unpaid bonuses for the Super Eagles at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

In a statement, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Nkiruka Uzoka Anite, said the government has approved and released the money and that the bonuses should reach the players’ bank accounts today, Friday. This comes just a day before Nigeria faces Algeria in the quarter-final on Saturday.

The bonuses cover the team up to and including the Round of 16 match. Each player is expected to receive about 30,000 US Dollars.

The minister blamed the delay on foreign exchange challenges. She said Nigeria’s economic situation sometimes leads to dollar shortages, and this can slow down international payments.

Bonus disputes are not new in African football, and they often cause tension between players and football authorities. In many cases, teams have threatened to boycott training or matches until their allowances are paid.

It can be recalled that the Super Eagles refused to travel for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil until their appearance fees were settled. There was also issue of unpaid bonuses during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Now the issue came up again after Nigeria recorded a convincing 4 0 win over Mozambique earlier this week. Soon after the match, players began to express concern about the delayed payments.

Team captain Wilfried Ndidi even offered to personally guarantee the bonuses so that the players would continue training ahead of the quarter-final clash.

Although Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, the team has so far enjoyed a perfect run in the tournament in Morocco, winning all their matches.