Declines to formalize Finidi, Ike’ contracts and has not paid them salaries since they were hired

NFF won’t pay its local staff their salaries

By Rasheed Adewuyi

Former Beskitas of Turkey goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu declined reporting to work at the Super Eagles’ Abuja camp over the failure of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to formalize the contracts of the Nigerian coaches in José Paseiro’s backroom staff since their employment in May.

This is the reason the Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer and the team’s assistant coach, Finidi George, failed to turn up in camp ahead of Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Super Eagles and Guinea Bissau’s Wild Dogs at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja. A highly placed NFF source familiar with matter stated: “When the NFF called on Saturday to tell one of them that they intended to buy his ticket to join the team in Abuja, he categorically told the official that he would not honor the invitation until his salary and his contract is formalized.”

Sports Joust reliably gathered that both Ike and Finidi are yet to receive any salary since they were drafted into the technical crew of the Super Eagles in May 2022 . Sports Joust understands that the broken relationship between Ike and the team’s technical adviser was over Paseiro’s refusal to invite recommended home based players to the national team.

The fractured relationship with the Portuguese manager of the Super Eagles was another reason Shorunmu is not enthusiastic in reporting to camp as the team’s goalkeeper trainer. Shorunmu and Finidi have been replaced by the Nigeria Football Federation with Flying Eagles goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa and Enyimba of Aba head coach , Usman Abdullah. The NFF said the decision to replace both coaches was taken with Paseiro.