AFCON: NFF president claims Nigeria players have been paid owed bonuses

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau claimed that a pay dispute between the federation and the national team has been resolved ahead of Saturday’s quarterfinal match against Algeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

 

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​Super Eagles players and coaches reportedly refused to travel to Marrakesh due to unpaid bonuses. The team, which is one of only two countries to win all their matches so far, had not been paid bonuses for their four previous victories according to BBC’s Olúwashínà Okeleji.

​This led to the players informing officials on Tuesday night that they would neither train nor board the flight to Marrakesh on Thursday until they received payment for the group stage victories over Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda, as well as their Round of 16 triumph against Mozambique.

Three-time #AFCON champions #Nigeria have a strange ability to self-sabotage.

Officials made a promise to the players & coaching staff ahead of the #AFCON2025 tournament.

After going unbeaten to reach the quarterfinal vs #Algeria, the squad will NOT train or travel on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/RnzWDmiCNs

— Olúwashínà Okeleji (@oluwashina) January 7, 2026

However, in an interview with Colin Udoh of ESPN, after a dialogue with the team Gusau said the issue had been resolved after players were shown evidence of payment.

“The players were shown the documents that their payments had been processed, and they trained today, so there is no problem there.”

The payments were allegedly processed through the Central Bank of Nigeria and are expected to reach the players’ bank accounts within seven days. To provide proof, officials showed the squad payment slips, noting that the only remaining outstanding payment is for the recent victory over Mozambique, which will also be processed within days.

​These assurances appear to have worked, as the players are reportedly back on track to face Algeria on Saturday and book a slot in the semi final of the 2025 AFCON.

This is the latest in a series of disputes between the NFF and the Super Eagles; the team previously boycotted a training session in November 2025 ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier playoffs in Morocco.