Federation, Players, discredit online report of unpaid bonuses and allowances

By Rasheed Adewuyi

The Nigeria Football Federation and players of the Super Eagles have lambasted a report in an online publication, which claimed that players of the team have not been paid from monies given by the Presidency to the NFF to offset their bonuses and allowances.

The Federation and players have labeled the report fake news.

Late last year, the Presidency adopted a process supported and implemented by the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, by releasing monies to the NFF to pay outstanding bonuses and allowances of players and officials of the various National Teams.

However, the said online publication on Monday put together what a senior administrative official of the Super Eagles described as “tissues of lies.” It challenged the writer to come forward with evidence of his claims.

“The report is false, in every ramification, and we challenge the website owner and writer to come forward with proof of the claims. We want him to name the players who spoke to him because these are all tissues of lies.

“Players and officials of the Super Eagles have been paid for all matches played at the AFCON, yet he claimed the team was paid for only three matches. His outlandish claim of the team being owed for 25 matches is the biggest lie ever concocted by any writer.”

The writer also falsely claimed that only members of the NFF Board and staff of the Secretariat have been paid their outstanding allowances from the government money.

“This story is a shame. No player of the Super Eagles spoke to the writer. It is all pure fabrication,” a senior player told thenff.com.

Another senior official of the Super Eagles added: “The story is absolute nonsense. The press should verify whatever they hear from anywhere before publishing it as news. It is clear that this writer did not even hear anything; he brought forth this fake news from his imagination.”