The National Sports Commission (NSC) has
restored calm in the Super Eagles’ camp in Rabat, Morocco, after
players boycotted training over unpaid allowances and bonuses.
Sources confirmed that a top NSC official personally disbursed
the outstanding payments directly to the players on Wednesday afternoon,
while the administrative balance was handed over to the Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF).
This development contradicts earlier media reports
claiming that the NSC had already released ?1 billion to the NFF for the
payment of players’ entitlements and for the World Cup playoffs
preparations.
An official source at the NSC clarified that although
the ?1 billion was indeed approved for the NFF, the funds only
reached the team and the federation today, prompting the initial
misunderstanding.
“What we know is that an approval of ?1 billion was
given to the NFF for the playoffs, but before the release was made, the media
space was already flooded with reports that the NFF had received the money,”
the NSC chieftain explained.
“The NSC and NFF have now met with the players, reconciled the issues, and the
team is ready to go. The single training session they missed will not affect
their performance. The boys are focused on qualifying for the World Cup
playoffs.”
Investigations revealed that the players’ brief strike
followed demands for clarity on when their AFCON and World Cup qualifiers
bonuses and allowances would be paid. When no firm response came, they
opted to boycott training.
It was gathered that the NFF and team leadership,
in a meeting earlier witnessed by former Sports Minister John Enoh, had
resolved part of the outstanding debts dating back to 2019, which were
cleared last year.
Recall that the NFF had applied for an additional
?5 billion to supplement the ?12 billion earlier released by the
federal government for the 2024 AFCON. The extra funds were reportedly
used to offset debts owed to players, hotels, and airlines.
Meanwhile, a joint delegation comprising
officials from the NSC, NFF, and members of the Senate and
House of Representatives Committees on Sports departed for Morocco today to
join the team ahead of Thursday’s crucial playoff match.
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