The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) did not include AFCON 2019 in their budget to the government and that would explain why the Super Eagles are strapped of cash in Egypt, according to former sports minister Solomon Dalung.
Dalung made the clarification following various media reports that his ministry was responsible for the money problems the Eagles are facing in Egypt.
“For whatever reason, they failed to include the AFCON (in the budget),” Dalung said.
“It might sound unbelievable, but it’s the truth.
“I even found it ridiculous that they did not include the AFCON at the budget office.
“My office is not at all responsible or has anything to do with the failure of the NFF to discharge its responsibilities.”
He continued: “I believe they wanted to test this claim that football can do without government funding, which has now backfired.
“It is a costly experiment in the search for so-called autonomy in the proposed NFF bill.
“The NFF are fully responsible for the predicament of the team at the tournament and nobody else.
“They should own up and apologise to the nation.”
The Eagles are drawn in a first round group with Burundi, Madagascar and Guinea.
They are on a bonus of $5,000-man in the first round of the tournament.
