The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has dismissed claims that the Super Eagles are owed bonuses from about 30 matches, insisting that the federation has cleared all pending payments.
Speaking in an interview with Elegbete TV on Thursday, Gusau said the NFF reached an agreement with the players after the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to settle all outstanding allowances before the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
“It’s not true that we owe for 30 matches,” Gusau stated. “After the AFCON, we sat with the team leaders to ensure we entered the World Cup qualifiers with a clean slate. We agreed on what was due and cleared everything.”
He explained that the federation and the National Sports Commission have also reached a new arrangement with the players concerning their appearance fees and qualification bonuses, adding that match bonuses are no longer handled on a game-by-game basis.
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The clarification follows reports that the Super Eagles boycotted training in Rabat, Morocco, ahead of their World Cup playoff against Gabon, citing unpaid bonuses. However, team captain William Troost-Ekong later refuted claims of a bonus dispute, saying the squad remained focused on the crucial tie.
Gusau reiterated that any existing financial issues relate only to agreed qualification bonuses, not backlogged payments.
Nigeria will face Gabon today (Thursday) in Rabat, with the winner advancing to play either DR Congo or Cameroon in the next playoff round.
