Nigeria‘s senior players have told ESPN that reports of a bonus row ahead of Friday’s quarterfinal showdown against Angola in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations are false.
The Super Eagles, notorious for bonus issues ahead of, or even during, major tournaments in the past, are yet to be paid any bonuses for the tournament despite the widely-publicised approval of their competition funding by Nigeria president Bola Tinubu.
This delay has led to reports in Nigerian media suggesting that there has been a schism within the team over the issue, with some senior players supposedly unhappy with squad captain Ahmed Musa, accusing him of not representing their interests and threatening to take their case directly higher authorities.
Only William Troost-Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo have taken the armband during this tournament, and both denied having any confrontation.
“The report is a joke,” Omeruo told ESPN. “Musa showed us at lunch and we laughed about it. There is no issue here in camp. We are focused on our game tomorrow, believing that our money will be paid.
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“This squad is not the one to fight over money, otherwise, you would have heard that we refused to go to training even before the tournament.”
NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi said the federation is working closely with the Central Bank of Nigeria to expedite the payments.
“The NFF is grateful to the CBN for the way and manner they have continued to expedite action on payment requests that we have sent to them with regards to this competition,” Sanusi said.
“We have not experienced any delays or complication of processes at the CBN this time, and we give kudos to them for their diligence and great sense of duty.”
Based on their pre-tournament agreement with the NFF, the Super Eagles will be paid graduated qualification bonuses for each round they reach during the tournament, in addition to similarly graduated match by match bonuses based on their progress through the tournament.
This is in contrast to the past where they were only paid on a match by match basis.
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