Photo: Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi

Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi has pledged to pay all outstanding winning bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco if the Federal Government and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) fail to settle the payments before Saturday.

Despite assurances from the Federal Government and the National Sports Commission (NSC), the three-time African champions are yet to receive winning bonuses for their first four matches at AFCON 2025.

“I’ve been pushing the team to train and play the game vs Algeria. I’ve been doing this since the second game,” Ndidi was quoted by BBC journalist Oluwashina Okeleji on Thursday in a post on X.

“I’ve now made a commitment to the staff and players that I’ll personally pay the bonuses if the authorities fail to before Saturday. I don’t want these unpaid bonuses to affect our preparations.”

Recall that the Super Eagles on Wednesday threatened to boycott training and delay travel to Marrakech over unpaid bonuses for their three group-stage matches and the round of 16 at the tournament.

The team is owed win bonuses for victories over Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Mozambique. Reports indicated that the players warned they would not train or travel unless the issue was resolved.

The Super Eagles have arrived in Marrakech ahead of their high-profile 2025 AFCON quarter-final clash against Algeria’s Desert Foxes.

The team landed at the Marrakech-Menara Airport at about 4.14 p.m. on Thursday after a one hour, 14 minutes flight from Fès–Saïs Airport.

The Eagles are camped at the Savoy Le Grand Hotel, Marrakech, where players and officials will stay throughout their assignment.

Promise Efoghe, the team’s Media Officer, told NAN that the squad arrived safely and had shifted focus to recovery and preparation.

“We had a smooth trip from Fès despite the tight schedule, and the focus now is on recovery and preparation,” Efoghe said.

He disclosed that all the media engagements earlier scheduled for Thursday were postponed to allow the players adequate rest.

“Given the late arrival, the players requested time to rest, and we urge everyone to respect that decision,” he said.

Efoghe assured that updates on the team’s programme would be communicated promptly.

(NAN)

The Federal Government has said that the Super Eagles’ match bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have cleared the necessary regulatory stages.

Ohibaba.com reported the previous day that the Super Eagles had threatened to boycott travel to the host city of their quarter-final match at the AFCON over unpaid allowances.

Nigeria will face Algeria in the quarter-final on Saturday in Marrakesh, a city about five hours away from their current base. The team is scheduled to travel from Fez to Marrakesh today, Thursday.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, said that the payments would be reflected in the players’ domiciliary accounts “starting today or tomorrow”.

However, the players and officials were determined to miss the trip unless the outstanding allowances were paid.

The Eagles are yet to receive bonuses for all four matches played at the tournament.