Super Eagles AFCON 2025 Bonuses to Be Paid Before Friday – FG
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that the Super Eagles will receive their outstanding match bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations before Friday. This comes amid concerns after reports emerged that the players threatened to boycott travel for their quarter-final match due to unpaid allowances.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the payments had passed all required regulatory stages. She explained that the bonuses would reflect in the players’ domiciliary accounts starting from Thursday or, at the latest, Friday.
The assurance followed reports that the Super Eagles were unhappy over unpaid bonuses for all four matches they have played at the tournament so far. On Wednesday, the players reportedly threatened not to travel to Marrakesh, where Nigeria is scheduled to face Algeria in the quarter-final on Saturday.
The team is expected to travel from their current base in Fez to Marrakesh, a journey of about five hours. However, players and officials were said to be unwilling to make the trip unless the outstanding allowances were settled.
Uzoka-Anite explained that the delay was caused by the process of converting funds into foreign currency, which she noted was the players’ preferred mode of payment. She added that the process had now been fast-tracked, with final transfers already underway.
According to her, the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria have worked together to streamline the foreign exchange process to ensure that the players are paid without further delay. She also assured that future payments would be handled faster and in line with international best practices.
The issue of unpaid allowances is not new for the Super Eagles. In November 2024, the team boycotted training during the African World Cup qualifiers over similar issues. Nigeria later lost to DR Congo, ending the country’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, also confirmed that all financial entitlements of the players and officials have been resolved. He said President Bola Tinubu approved the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 budget as far back as November 14, 2025.
Dikko explained that while the funds had been approved, the processing stage took additional time. He, however, assured that the money was being released and that the players were aware of this.
The Super Eagles have been impressive at the ongoing AFCON, winning all four of their matches so far. They finished top of Group C and defeated Mozambique 4–0 in the second round, making them the highest-scoring team in the tournament with 12 goals.
Nigeria’s quarter-final clash against Algeria will take place on Saturday, and the winner will go on to face either Morocco or Cameroon in the semi-final.
