Eagles fume as NFF refuses to hand over N10m cash gift from Akwa Ibom governor

MEMBERS of the victorious Super Eagles team that beat Tanzania 1-0 in an African Nations Cup qualifier on Saturday have expressed outrage after they realised that the Akwa Ibom State government gave them N10m (£24,000) which was not handed over to them.

 

Over the weekend, the Eagles took on Tanzania in what was for all intents and purposes a friendly game at the Uyo Stadium, in coach Gernot Rohr's first game in charge. Having won the match, the Akwa Ibom State governor Udom Emmanuel gave the team N10m but Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) officials did not disclose this to the players.

 

Apparently, the NFF used to money to pay the players their camp allowances. To add insult to injury, the NFF did not pay the players any winning bonus for the Tanzania match, although overseas-based stars were promised their return flight ticket refunds.

 

One team source said:  “I can tell you that the players did not find this funny. They expected that the governor’s cash gift will not have anything to do with their camp allowances, which is $200-a-man a day.

 

“The NFF need to live up to their responsibilities rather than continue to depend on handouts. It is now left to be seen how the NFF will overcome their financial mess in time for 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Zambia and Algeria in the coming months."