Femi Solaja
The Nigeria Football Federation has denied a report that it shortchanged players of the Super Eagles with regards to payment of their win bonus for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Algeria in Uyo in November 2016.
Eagles’ Team Administrator Dayo Enebi Achor confirmed yesterday that contrary to the report in the media, the federation paid all the players all that was due to them: “That report is a fabrication. The estimate we sent to the Government was for the sum of N1million for each player for a win. Nobody has been shortchanged.
“Sometimes in March this year, the NFF held a meeting with some technical crew members, team captain and vice captain, on behalf of the team, and told them to open bank accounts (in Nigeria) as the Federation was no longer disposed to paying cash. It was also at that meeting that the NFF told them they would no longer be paid in dollars for home matches, and that the win bonus for home match was a flat rate of N1million. The meeting took place at the team’s hotel in Kaduna and I was present at the meeting.
“It was based on this that the players were paid the sum of N500,000 each for the draw against Egypt in Kaduna (2017 Cup of Nations qualifier, March 2016) and the sum of N1million each for the win against Tanzania in Uyo (2017 Cup of Nations qualifier, September 2016). Their camp allowance has also been paid in naira (N50,000 per day) since March 2016.”
Achor also confirmed that for away matches, the players are entitled to the sum of $5,000 at the official rate obtaining at the time of match.
“The NFF has not shortchanged the players. The match against Algeria was a home match. Whenever the win bonus for the match against Zambia in Ndola is being paid, it would be $5,000 per player at the official rate that obtained at the time the match was played.”
The federation has been in the news for wrong reasons in th3 recent time in spite of success the country had achieved especially in the last three months.
