- We will pay once we receive World Cup money — NFF
FIFPRO, the association responsible for 65,000 professional footballers worldwide has said that it had begun actions to assist the Super Falcons players in resolving their pay dispute with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Prior to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where they were just ousted in the round of 16 by England, the Falcons had been at odds with the NFF over unpaid match bonuses and camp allowances dating back to 2021.
Nigeria arrived at the Women’s World Cup after a dispute with the NFF over pay and conditions, with coach Randy Waldrum alleging that he was due seven months’ wages and that some of his players had not been paid in two years.
“Following the Nigeria women’s football 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,” FIFPRO said in a statement.
“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.
“FIFPRO will continue to work with the players to ensure their contractual rights are honoured and the outstanding payments are settled,” the statement said.
It will be noted that Nigeria’s women’s football team has had a long-standing issue with the NFF over resourcing and equitable treatment. The team staged sit-ins at both the 2019 World Cup and the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in protest over an alleged lack of payments they said they were owed by the NFF.
Meanwhile, the NFF in a statement has dismissed the reports as nothing more than a storm in a team cup while charging FIFPRO to stop playing the ostrich and stand up to its real responsibilities, calling on the body to address the real issues.
The NFF however reiterated that it has no issues with the players following assurance that the owed bonuses will be paid once they receive the World Cup money.
