Sports
Super Eagles to receive AFCON bonuses before Friday – FG
By Francesca Hangeior
The Federal Government has said that the Super Eagles’ match bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have cleared the necessary regulatory stages.
According to a statement issued on Thursday, the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the payments would be reflected in the players’ domiciliary accounts “starting today or tomorrow”.
Recall that the Super Eagles on Wednesday threatened to boycott travel to the host city of their quarter-final match at the AFCON over unpaid allowances.
Nigeria will face Algeria in the quarter-final on Saturday in Marrakesh, a city about five hours away from their current base. The team is scheduled to travel from Fez to Marrakesh on Thursday.
However, the players and officials were determined to miss the trip unless the outstanding allowances were paid. The Eagles are yet to receive bonuses for all four matches played at the tournament.
In November 2024, the team also boycotted training during the African World Cup playoffs over a backlog of allowance issues. A few days later, Nigeria lost to DR Congo, and the country’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup ended.
Reacting to the development, Uzoka-Anite said the payment delay was caused by the “conversion process to move funds into foreign currency”, which she noted was the players’ preference.
She added that the process had now been fast-tracked and that the “final transfers to domiciliary accounts are currently in flight”.
“The Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria have successfully streamlined the foreign exchange processing to ensure our players are rewarded without further delay.
“Going forward, the process will be fully streamlined to ensure faster and more predictable disbursements aligned with international best practice,” she said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, has said that all financial entitlements of Super Eagles players and officials have been resolved.
Dikko’s remarks followed reports of players threatening to boycott training and travel to Marrakech for Saturday’s match against Algeria.
Dikko told NAN that President Bola Tinubu approved the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 budget in November 2025, bringing alignment among the NSC, the Nigeria Football Federation and the players.
“The president approved the entire AFCON budget on November 14, 2025. From our end, the funding has been fully cleared,” Dikko said.
He, however, explained that approval and processing were two different stages, but assured players that the funds had been approved and were being released.
“Approving the money is one thing, processing it is another, but the players know the funds have been approved,” he added.
The Eagles have won all four matches at the ongoing AFCON and are the competition’s highest-scoring side with 12 goals. The team finished top of Group C and thrashed Mozambique 4–0 in the second round.
The winner of Nigeria’s match against Algeria will face either Morocco or Cameroon in the semi-final.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) has given the reason behind the delay in the payment of bonuses to players of the Super Eagles at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
Chairman of the commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, said the delay was caused by bureaucratic processes involved in the release of government funds, and not because the money was unavailable.
Dikko spoke on Thursday amid reports that members of the Nigerian team were unhappy over unpaid bonuses and had allegedly threatened to boycott their quarter-final match against Algeria.
He clarified that funds meant for the Super Eagles had already been approved and released, but were still passing through required administrative stages before reaching the players.
According to him, the payment process involves several government institutions, including the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the National Sports Commission, the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“The money for this AFCON has been approved and is currently being processed through the right channels. It is mainly an issue of timing and procedure,” Dikko said during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
He disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the special AFCON budget as far back as November 14, 2025, stressing that approval does not automatically translate to immediate disbursement.
“After presidential approval, the funds still have to go through the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and the CBN before they can be paid to beneficiaries,” he explained.
Dikko appealed for patience from the players and Nigerians, assuring that the matter would be resolved soon once the processing stages are completed. He added that the welfare of the Super Eagles remains a priority for the commission and the Federal Government.
Nigeria has appeared 15 semi final stages at AFCON making the Super Eagles stand tall against Algeria today.
The Super Eagles file against the Desert Foxes meanest defence in the 2025 Africa cup of Nations quarter final pairings at Marrakech Stadium, Morocco.
Kick off time is 5.00pm Nigerian time.
Super Eagles top strikers Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman are expected to put their differences behind them and approach the quarterfinal with all the seriousness it deserves.
In 22 meetings across competitive and friendly matches, Algeria have recorded 10 wins to Nigeria’s nine, with three draws.
Algeria have won the three encounters between the sides, including a 2-1 victory in the 2019 AFCON semi-final on their way to lifting the title.
Nigeria, however, have a strong tournament pedigree, having reached at least the semi-finals in 15 of their last 20 AFCON appearances.
Algeria may be without midfielder Ismaël Bennacer, who is a fitness doubt, while Anis Hadj-Moussa is suspended.
Nigeria are expected to field a full-strength squad, with no major injury concerns reported.
The winner of the match will advance to the semi-final to meet Morocco on January 14 in Rabat, after they defeated Cameroon 2-0 in their quarterfinal tie on Friday.
Saturday’s clash sets up a compelling contest between the tournament’s most potent attack and its tightest defence, with a place in the last four at stake.
The Senegalese national team on Friday sailed into the semi-final at the ongoing AFCON football tournament defeating Mali by 1-0.
Senegal is the first country to hit the semis in Morocco as the Malians with ten men struggled to erase the one goal deficit.
Details shortly…
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