The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to probe the NFF’s financial operations after it was revealed that players of the Super Eagles, Super Falcons, Flying Eagles, and Golden Eaglets have not received their outstanding bonuses.
According to a sports stakeholder, who chose to remain anonymous, the players of Nigeria’s teams across most categories are still owed. This is despite the NFF receiving a ₦17 billion grant from the Federal Government to clear outstanding debts this year and $4 million from CAF as the Africa Cup of Nations runner-up in 2024.
“The NFF is yet to clear several outstanding debts in the form of salaries and players’ winning bonuses. Both senior and junior national teams’ unpaid bonuses are still hanging on the NFF’s neck, and there are fears that players may revolt in 2025 to press home their demands.
“Even coaches and backroom staff are not left out, despite the ₦17 billion released by President Bola Tinubu this year. Don’t also forget that CAF paid the NFF $4 million for the Super Eagles’ second-place finish at the last AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire.
“How can you divert such funds to offset hotel accommodation bills, which we all know have something to do with personal commissions from hotel racketeering? That is not what the money was meant for in the first place. All that the president said was to pay all outstanding debts, period!
“But the same NFF has been paying its scribe $10,000 per month while officials get estacodes during trips, yet they have failed to offset the backlog of salaries and bonuses owed to players and officials. The big question is: where has the money gone?” a top football stakeholder lamented.
The stakeholder also revealed that the Nigerian government has done well in releasing money to turn around the country’s poor run in the World Cup qualifiers after the Super Eagles could only manage three points from four matches, placing them in sixth position in Group C.
“The Presidency now sees football as one major unifying factor in this country, and they know that Nigeria’s absence in the 2026 FIFA World Cup could deal a devastating blow to the government. In all fairness, President Tinubu has done his bit by releasing money to the NFF in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda, but the soccer body has not lived up to expectations.
“That explains why the Presidency embraced the idea of setting up a Presidential Support Group (PSG) to revive the country’s fading World Cup hopes,” the source revealed.