Super Falcons protest over unpaid bonuses after World Cup exit
By Femi Atolagbe & Jubril Bada
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Nigeria Women threatened a sit-in protest at their team hotel over unpaid bonuses following their World Cup last-16 defeat to Germany on Saturday afternoon.
The squad were demanding the Nigerian FA cleared all their outstanding bonus payments, amounting to around 2 million Nigerian naira (£4,360) accumulated over three years.
These fees include games against Gambia and Senegal with only half that amount reportedly released to them.
A statement from the players’ said: “They paid us one million and said that’s all. We want them to pay the balance.
“Part of that money is from two years ago, the other is from three years ago. And they are also owing us five days’ daily allowance here in France.
“Before the World Cup, we asked them for a meeting so we could discuss our World Cup bonuses, like they did with the men’s team last year.
“They ignored the letter and nobody said anything about it until now.”
However, an overnight meeting in their Grenoble hotel was held with Aisha Falode, the president of the Nigeria Women Football League with a promise made to pay all the outstanding fees.
In response to the situation, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick said: “The only thing outstanding is the participation fee from FIFA, which isn’t expected to come until after the tournament.
“But they insist that they want to get paid, as they have spoken to players from Cameroon and France, who told them they have already been paid.”
It is believed three players missed their flights back to their clubs due to the dispute but the team will now leave their hotel.
In 2016, over a dozen members of the team also demonstrated outside the National Assembly in the capital Abuja to demand unpaid bonuses for winning the women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
