Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying campaign has been overshadowed by fresh claims that some Super Eagles players have gone nearly three years without receiving their match bonuses, Footynaija.com reports.
The revelation comes at a time when the team is struggling in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Nigeria, who have already dropped valuable points in the race, need victories in their remaining games to stand a chance of topping the group and sealing an automatic World Cup ticket.
In the words of respected BBC journalist Oluwashina Okeleji, “You have players who have not been paid their match bonuses going into 30 matches, dating back to three years. These players sometimes are not in the right frame of mind.”
As reported by Legit.ng, the journalist made this statement during a live radio programme, stressing that unpaid entitlements have become a serious distraction for the team.
Beyond the pitch, financial management has long been a recurring issue in Nigerian football. The Guardian had earlier reported that the Presidency released over seventeen billion naira to the NFF to support the national teams, with CAF also paying in millions of dollars in prize money.
Yet there are allegations that debts remain unsettled, with claims that funds have been channelled to other expenses rather than player bonuses.
