Super Falcons take their war with the NFF to the U.K

Players of the Nigerian Women’s football team, the Super Falcons continue their war with the Nigerian Football Federation in new reports coming from UK media outlet, The Athletic.

In it, the Super Falcons players have alleged that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has treated them unfairly by failing to pay their match bonuses and allowances over the years. According to words quoted by the unnamed source, they likened the Falcons’ treatment to that of “slaves.”

Prior to the World Cup tournament, the Super Falcons had made headlines when they threatened to boycott their opening match in the 2023 Women’s World Cup against Canada due to unpaid entitlements.

Despite their initial protest, they eventually played the game, which ended in a goalless draw.

Reports suggest that the players agreed to participate in the opening match after reaching an agreement with the NFF. According to the alleged agreement, each player was entitled to a $100 per day camp allowance, a $3,000 win bonus, and a $1,500 draw bonus.

However, FIFA, the global governing body for football, later announced that each player from participating countries in the 2023 Women’s World Cup would receive at least $30,000.

The players have expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that the NFF paid them significantly less than what they were owed for their daily camp allowance and did not provide any match bonuses as agreed upon.

One player, speaking to The Athletic, lamented,

“They don’t treat us as if we are here to play for our country — they treat us as if we are slaves.”

Another player voiced their concerns, saying,

“We disagreed; we told them ‘no.’ You can’t come and tell us you’re not paying us our match bonuses… How can you tell me FIFA included your match bonus (in its money)? They take us as if we are fools, as if we don’t know anything, as if we don’t know our rights.”

Despite the alleged ill-treatment and unpaid entitlements, the Super Falcons continued to participate in the tournament.

A third player explained,

“We’re not playing for the federation; we’re playing for ourselves, playing for our country, playing for our families. We love football, we have a passion for it… and that passion is what gives us that drive.”

In response to these serious allegations, Ademola Olajire, the NFF’s communications chief, defended the federation’s position.

He asserted that FIFA had not yet provided the promised funds for the World Cup and claimed that all daily allowances had been paid.

Olajire also stated that the bonuses due to the players before the World Cup had been settled, except for one qualifying match.