Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has called for better remuneration for sports coaches in Nigeria.
The respected 82-year-old cleric made the appeal on Sunday during the church’s monthly Thanksgiving Service at its national headquarters in Ebute-Meta, Lagos State.
Pastor Adeboye expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for awarding the naira equivalent of $100,000 to each of the 24 Super Falcons players for securing their tenth WAFCON title in Morocco in 2024.
The President also promised each player a three-bedroom apartment and awarded the technical crew, including head coach Justin Madugu, the naira equivalent of $50,000.
During his sermon titled ‘The Winning Team’, Pastor Adeboye praised the President’s generosity but questioned the disparity in rewards between players and coaches. He stressed that coaches provide the guidance and expertise that players rely on to succeed.
He said, “Revelation 2:17 shows that overcomers receive rewards, so I wasn’t surprised when the President announced the gifts to the Falcons. When I heard each player would receive $100,000, I thought, ‘Wow!’ In our time, we only got a handshake. Now, they’re getting money, houses, and recognition.”
“I appreciate the President’s gifts, but I don’t entirely agree that coaches should receive less. Without coaches, there would be no winning team. That said, I won’t stir controversy. God bless the coaches,” he added.
Reflecting on his youth as a trained boxer in 1960, Adeboye recalled how his coach drove him and his teammates hard.
“In 1960, our coach pushed us so intensely that we once questioned whether he was preparing us for military service. But today, I’m grateful. He instilled strength and discipline in us. He’d tell me to push a wall like I was trying to bring it down. A good coach identifies your potential and forces you to rise to it,” he said.
Photos from the WAFCON final on July 26, 2025 in Rabat show Nigeria’s Super Falcons jubilantly lifting the trophy, with goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and captain Rasheedat Ajibade later presenting it to President Tinubu on July 28.