Rabat, Morocco – Na wetin we dey hear today dey scatter ground for Super Eagles camp as di players don boycott dem training session because of unpaid bonuses. Dis wahala dey happen just few days before dem go face Gabon for di 2026 FIFA World Cup Africa play-off semi-final match this Thursday.
Di players and di technical staff dey vex over payment wey dey overdue since 2019, plus bonuses wey dem suppose get for di Africa Cup of Nations and qualifying for di World Cup. Dem gree say dem no go train until di Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) settle di gbese. Chai, na serious matter be dis! (Even palm wine no fit wash away di anger wey dey for dem).
Dis matter no be small o! Di squad, wey include big names like captain William Troost-Ekong, Victor Osimhen, and Wilfred Ndidi, don hammer am say dem no gree train until dem fit see clear sign say NFF don settle dem. Di attention for camp don dey tense as journalists confirm say all dis don happen.
As e be, di Super Eagles go meet Gabon on Thursday, November 13, for di Prince Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex. If dem no fit win dis semi-final, na wetin go happen next? E mean say dem fit miss di chance to fight for World Cup slot. People go just dey say “Hey, Super Eagles, wetin happen?” (No be only football we dey talk, na life we dey play for here).
Di NFF still dey gree to respond publicly to dis matter, but sources say dem dey negotiate for background. Dis sweet drama dey reflect di bigger wahala wey dey for Nigerian football, especially around player welfare and di na so-so empty promises wey di federation dey make. Last-last, people still dey complain about di poor accommodation wey di players dey experience for Morocco.
Oluwashina Okeleji, prominent sports journalist, don already report di protest live, saying dem don confirm di boycott due to unresolved issues with payment. “Super Eagles players don dey reject di NFF offer; dem don make counteroffer,” he tweet, and everybody don dey look up to see wetin go happen next.
For dis matter, di players don dey physically dey inside camp, awaiting Maduka Okoye wey dey come late. But as di protest dey hot and morale dey drop, e no too sweet to face di crucial match without proper preparation. Remember say dis kind wahala don happen before – like for 2019 and 2022 when di players don protest for unpaid bonuses. No be say we no sabi wetin we dey do for here o, but na empty stomach no go help our game.
As di clock dey tick for di match, di pressure go dey on NFF to act fast. Wetin go be di outcome if dem no fit resolve dis issues? E fit ruin Nigeria’s hope of World Cup dream, and we no wan see dat kind shame! Make we just dey watch how dis drama go unfold before di game on Thursday!
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor@nnn.ng
