Bonus dispute resolved as Super Eagles set to travel for AFCON quarter-final
The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, has said the bonus dispute involving the Super Eagles has been settled, clearing the way for the team to travel to Marrakech for their quarter-final encounter with Algeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Nigeria’s impressive campaign at the 2025 AFCON was briefly overshadowed by reports suggesting that the players had threatened to boycott their last-eight fixture against the Desert Foxes over the alleged non-payment of match bonuses.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Dikko dismissed the concerns, confirming that the matter had been resolved and that the team would depart Fes for Marrakech, Morocco, ahead of Saturday’s match.
“First and foremost, I tell you, the team trained yesterday, definitely. The team will be traveling today, definitely,” the NSC chairman said during Thursday’s programme.
Dikko explained that the delay in paying the bonuses was caused by bureaucratic processes, stressing that the funds are already undergoing processing.
“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.”
He added that the players had already received their daily allowances for the tournament, which he said were 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,” Dikko noted.
“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, champions of the AFCON in 1980, 1994 and 2013, secured a dominant 4-0 victory over Mozambique’s Mambas in the round of 16 to book a quarter-final showdown with Algeria.
The fixture is a repeat of the 2019 AFCON semi-final clash, where the Super Eagles suffered a 1-0 defeat after a spectacular Riyad Mahrez free-kick, as Algeria went on to lift the trophy in Egypt.