Players of the Super Eagles have refused to train in protest over unpaid allowances owed to them by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
A source close to the team told TheCable that both players and officials declined to hold their scheduled evening training session on Tuesday.
According to information obtained by TheCable, the players have not been paid their entitlements for qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as well as the 2026 World Cup playoff.
Some senior members of the squad are reportedly still owed bonuses dating back to 2019.
Nigeria is set to face Gabon on Thursday in one of the semi-finals of the 2026 African World Cup playoffs. The winner of that encounter will meet either Congo DR or Cameroon in the final for a chance to secure Africa’s sole intercontinental playoff spot.
All 24 players invited by Eric Chelle, the team’s manager, are currently camped in Rabat, Morocco. Sources indicated that the players will not return to training unless the unpaid allowances are fully settled.
The NFF has a history of delayed payments of bonuses and allowances to national team players.
In 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of N12 billion to “clear the senior national team coach salaries running up to 15 months, payments of allowances and promises due to the senior national teams, females, and U-20 national team.”