TheCable

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is owing the Super Eagles match bonuses since 2019, TheCable understands.

TheCable can report that the national team last got any match bonus from the federation after the game against South Africa at the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.

A source close to the three-time African champions told TheCable that the Super Eagles are being owed from their third-place match against Tunisia, which got them the bronze medal in the tournament.

The Gernot Rohr inspired side have since then played Benin Republic, Lesotho, Algeria, Tunisia and Sierra Leone after the third-place game against the Carthage Eagles in Egypt.

“Don’t blame the players if they show some level of complacency on the pitch of play because NFF only promise and fail the team,” the source told TheCable.

“Do you believe that the boys are still being owed since their third-place match against Tunisia in Egypt? Friday’s match is the sixth match bonus they are been owed.

“Can you imagine a situation where the leadership of the NFF will come to the team’s hotel to show them Ghana Must Go bag that it’s filled with money, that all they need to do is win the match? But when they might have delivered, stories will start. And they will be told that they have their account details, that the money will be transferred into it.

“The thing is that the team don’t really believe the federation when they promise them heaven on earth because they have come to realise that everything is just stories.”

The Eagles threw away a four-goal lead to draw 4-4 against Sierra Leone on Friday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin city in Edo state.

This had stirred criticism among Nigerians on social media.

Amaju Pinnick, president of the NFF, had, thereafter, charged the national team to beat Sierra Leone by four goals to nothing in the return leg, which is scheduled to take place at the Siaka Stevens stadium in Freetown, by 5pm on November 17.