Nigeria’s preparation for Thursday’s 2026 World Cup playoff against Gabon has been thrown into disarray as the Super Eagles players have vowed not to step on the pitch unless their long-standing allowances are paid.
The Super Eagles boycotted training on Tuesday in protest over unpaid bonuses that reportedly date back several years.
As of Wednesday morning, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had yet to issue an official statement, further deepening uncertainty around the crucial qualifier.
Shooting Stars media officer, Adepoju Tobi Samuel, gave an update on 𝕏 early Wednesday, saying: “There’s no official statement from the NFF. The official media group of the Super Eagles has been calm, with no information since yesterday. Before bedtime yesterday, the players had vowed they wouldn’t play until the NFF cleared all the backlog of debts.”
He added that officials from the National Sports Commission (NSC) have stepped in, claiming that funds were released to the NFF on Tuesday night.
“The NSC told me that they have released further funds for the NFF yesterday night. The NSC also told me that they have released monies due for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers to the NFF. NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, is expected to meet with the players this morning,” Adepoju said.
Despite those assurances, Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong confirmed that the dispute has not been resolved. He explained that no agreement had been reached between the players and the NFF over the unpaid bonuses.
The players are demanding that the NFF clear outstanding payments before Thursday’s game. They claim that neither the team nor the coaching crew, led by Eric Chelle, have received any payment despite reports that funds were released.
Troost-Ekong addressed the situation on 𝕏 in response to a post by journalist Oluwashina Okeleji.
“Once a resolution is found, we will be the first to confirm. Any other statement/claim or especially demands other than the rightful request written about below is FALSE. All we want and continue to do is focus on the big games ahead,” the defender wrote.
Sports photographer, Pooja Media, also weighed in, revealing that the NFF’s financial troubles go beyond the current team.
“NFF are owing backlogs of unpaid allowances for years; affecting both present and past players/officials,” he posted.
“The players didn’t make any special offer from the NFF; the offer came from the NFF even with a figure. The players are fighting for the new generation of players as they want the NFF to be responsible going forward. The fight is beyond unpaid allowances but for the future of football in Nigeria.”
All things being equal, the Super Eagles of Nigeria will take to the field in Rabat, Morocco, to face Gabon at 5 p.m. (Nigerian time) on Thursday, November 13.
