The International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) got into a verbal fight over the payment of unpaid bonuses and allowances for the Super Falcons that date back to 2021.
Just one day after the Super Falcons were eliminated from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is currently taking place in Australia and New Zealand, FIFPro admitted in a statement on Tuesday that the players had complained about their outstanding debts to the federation.
FIFPro further stressed the players’ resolve to get paid after avoiding boycotting any match at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The statement from the federation read, “Following the Nigeria women’s national team’s elimination from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, FIFPro can confirm it is assisting players in a disagreement with the Nigeria Football Federation concerning bonus payments, camp allowances, and expenses, some of which date back to 2021.
“During the World Cup, the players expressed the desire to remain focused on their performance without making public statements or facing other distractions.
“However, the Super Falcons believe that it is now time for the Nigeria Football Federation to honour their commitments and pay the outstanding amounts.
“The team is extremely frustrated that they have had to pursue the Nigeria Football Federation for these payments before and during the tournament and may have to continue doing so afterward. Regrettably, players needed to challenge their federation at such an important time in their careers.”
NFF responds To FIFPro’s statement
In reaction to FIFPro, the NFF stated that the action taken by the world players union was “nothing more than a storm in a teacup.”
The NFF asserted that once FIFA had disbursed the funds for the World Cup, the players would be compensated for the friendly games and qualifying matches they were entitled to, as well as appearance fees and bonuses.
The football body said, “It (NFF) recalled that its officials sat down and agreed with the players on what to pay them, but FIFA came up with a juicier package and they were all happy about it. If they had beaten England, for instance, and reached the quarter-finals, the NFF disclosed that the players would have been entitled to $90,000, and not the $60,000 each player will be getting now. A place in the semi-finals would have guaranteed at least $165,000 each (for 4th place, and $180,000 each for 3rd place) for the players.”
