July 20, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, did not practice on Wednesday, in protest against the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), over unpaid match bonuses of over $10,000 for their victories over Botswana, Burundi and Cameroon.
Although they lost their semi-finals tie against hosts, Morocco, the Nigerian ladies have already secured a spot at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. However, all they have got is a shifting of responsibilities for payment of their bonuses. The NFF indicated that the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development was in charge of making finances available for the Super Falcons, while the Ministry claimed that it is awaiting the approval of funds from the government.
The NFF authorities reportedly spoke with the Super Falcons to avert the protest and the Ministry has conveyed a message to the team, but the girls have refused to train until their match bonuses and allowances have been paid. On Wednesday evening, they were also approached regarding the disbursement of their bonuses, but they refused to back down and insisted on receiving their compensation before any practice sessions.
It brings back memories of previous circumstances surrounding the Super Falcons, who have consistently delivered for the country’s football fortunes, and the cases of unpaid rewards. THEWILL recalls that Desire Oparanozie was forced out of the Super Falcons in 2019 as a result of leading the team’s protest over similar complaints of bonuses and allowances that were owed the ladies.
So far, only about a $1,000 payment has been given to each player to cover their 10 days’ allowance and they appear determined to get their earnings. The protests aside, the Super Falcons have already arrived in Casablanca and are scheduled to play Zambia in the AWCON third-place game on Friday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
