Wilfred Ndidi, the captain of the Super Eagles, has pledged to cover the team’s outstanding match bonuses during the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco if the federal government does not resolve the issue by Saturday.
Ndidi shared this commitment on Thursday.
The Leicester City midfielder expressed his determination to both players and officials to prevent the situation from distracting the team ahead of their quarter-final match against Algeria.
“I’ve been encouraging the team to focus on training and preparing for the game against Algeria since our second match,” Ndidi stated.
“I have now assured the staff and players that I will personally pay the bonuses if the authorities do not take care of it by Saturday.”
He emphasized that he does not want the unpaid bonuses to interfere with the team’s preparations.
“I told the players and coaching staff that I’ll handle the payments myself if they don’t receive them,” he added.
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Earlier reports indicated that players and officials were contemplating a boycott of training and travel to Marrakech due to the unpaid bonuses for their group stage matches and the round of 16.
In response, the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka Anite, stated that the federal government has released all group stage bonuses and completed the necessary regulatory processes, with final transfers to players’ accounts already in progress.
She assured that future payments would be expedited and mentioned the introduction of a new fast-track process to convert funds to foreign currency according to players’ preferences.
Ndidi and his teammates arrived in Marrakech on Thursday and conducted a training session in preparation for Saturday’s match.
Nigeria aims to secure their fourth AFCON title, having previously won the trophy in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
