The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) Shehu Dikko, says the Super Eagles bonus row has been resolved and that the team will now travel to Marrakech for their quarter-final clash with Algeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Nigeria’s fine outing at the 2025 AFCON took a new twist when reports emerged that the players threatened to boycott their last-eight clash with the Desert Foxes, citing non-payment of match bonuses.
However, Dikko told Channels Television’s The Morning Brief that the issue has been resolved and the players will leave Fes for Marrakech (Morocco) ahead of the match on Saturday.
“First and foremost, I tell you, the team trained yesterday, definitely. The team will be traveling today, definitely,” the NSC chairman said on Thursday’s edition of the show which runs on weekdays.
According to him, the delay in the payment of the bonuses was due to bureaucracy, saying the funds are already being processed.
“Let me give you the timelines of how the issues work. First and foremost, I must tell you that Mr. President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, duly approved the special budget for the AFCON as far back as November 14, 2025,” he said.
“But approving the money is different from getting the money out. It takes time for the money to be processed through Finance, the Office of the Accountant General, and the CBN.”
Dikko said the Nigerian team has gotten their daily allowances for the tournament which he said was paid in “cash as agreed”.
“It’s normal for players to ask when alerts will come. But I don’t think any player made any public statement. It started from speculation,” he stated.
“The players will start getting alerts maybe today or tomorrow for the first-round matches, and as they progress, payments for subsequent stages will follow.”
Nigeria, winners of the AFCON in 1980, 1994 and 2013, dispatched the Mambas of Mozambique 4-0 in the last-16 to set up a mouthwatering clash with Algeria.
That game is a rematch of a 2019 AFCON semi-final tie with the North Africans. The Super Eagles lost 1-0 after a stunning freekick from Riyad Mahrez as Algeria went on to win the competition in Egypt.
