Nigeria football has again been thrown into another international scandal after the country’s U20 team missed their flights to their various bases so as to protest against the non-payment of their bonuses and allowances amounting to $5,000 per player.
The Flying Eagles crashed out of the World Cup in Poland Monday night when they lost 2-1 to fellow West Africans Senegal in a Round of 16 clash.
“The boys say we are not leaving the hotel until all our bonuses and allowances are paid,” one of the players specially told SCORENigeria
“Both FIFA and the hotel have ordered we leave the hotel now.
“It’s embarrassing, a disaster.
“We don’t know where we will go, but we will fight to get paid for what we worked for.”
SCORENigeria further gathered that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had promised the players $2,000 each for qualifying to the Round of 16.
The players have also calculated another $3,000 as camp allowances.
The foreign players, whose return tickets were booked to their various bases, have stayed back in solidarity with the players from the domestic league.
“The home boys will not get anything if they are not paid here and that’s why we have stood by them,” one of the foreign-based players told SCORENigeria
Over a dozen players who were dropped in Germany from the final squad to the World Cup were given $100 each and their return tickets.
This is not the first time Nigerian footballers have embarked on a pay strike overseas.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Super Eagles skipped training until they were paid appearance fees for qualifying for the Mundial.
The Super Falcons were also holed up in an Abuja for several weeks to press for the payment of their bonuses and allowances after they had won the AWCON in Cameroon.
Several top NFF officials including president Amaju Pinnick have been charged to court by the government for alleged corruption.
By Samm Audu
