The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has attributed its inability to pay the outstanding salaries, bonuses and allowances of the coaches and players of the senior men national team, Super Eagles to challenges and disruptions caused by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This governing federation was responding to a claim by Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun that the NFF were still owing the players bonuses and allowances.
“It’s not a secret (unpaid bonuses) even and then I have read something recently when people in charge they contradict themselves, said things have been paid, then they admit they haven’t been paid,” the outspoken Balogun reportedly said in a podcast . “It’s like everybody is so concerned about the look of Nigeria, we have to represent Nigeria well and we cannot embarrass Nigeria, but make sure you are not embarrassing Nigeria with your own action.”
But NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, in Abuja yesterday said the NFF is working hard to offset the outstanding balances, adding that the effects of the pandemic are still felt by government institutions and businesses the world over, and there was no need to pretend that these are normal times.
“The NFF deserves no joy in owing players and coaches their entitlements,” Sanusi said. “The same players and coaches have been well-taken-care of and provided the necessary facilities when things were normal, and as we work assiduously towards conquering the present challenges and seeing sunlight again, we expect the players, coaches and administrative staff to show the same level of understanding that they have been showing over the past 18 months.
“As I speak, we are owing the team bonuses and allowances from only the last two matches, and payments for these two games have been sent to the Central Bank some weeks ago. They will receive the monies shortly. We are equally working to pay the coaches what they are being owed as salaries,” he concluded.
