Shehu Dikko, chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), has said that all outstanding financial entitlements owed to Super Eagles players and officials have been resolved.
Dikko’s comments followed reports that some players were considering boycotting training and the team’s trip to Marrakech ahead of Saturday’s AFCON 2025 clash against Algeria.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Dikko disclosed that President Bola Tinubu approved the Super Eagles’ full AFCON 2025 budget as far back as November 2025, putting all stakeholders on the same page.
“The president approved the entire AFCON budget on November 14, 2025. From our end, the funding has been fully cleared,” he said.
Drawing from my experience covering sports administration and budget processes, delays often arise not from lack of approval but from procedural stages. Dikko echoed this point, stressing that approval and disbursement are separate processes.
“Approving the money is one thing, processing it is another, but the players know the funds have been approved,” he added.
He explained that the NSC held meetings with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the team captain, co-captain, and senior players to agree on tournament bonuses before the competition began.
“We sat down, negotiated, and agreed on what the players are entitled to up to the final. Everybody is clear,” Dikko said.
According to him, the players fully understood and accepted their incentive structure at every stage of the tournament.
“The players know exactly what they are playing for and what their bonuses are at every stage,” he stated.
Dikko noted that the only request made for cash payments was for daily allowances, which he confirmed had already been settled.
“The only cash request was daily allowances, and that has been sorted and made available,” he said.
He added that match bonuses had been approved and were currently undergoing processing for payment.
“The bonuses have been approved. The process is ongoing and the money will come,” he assured.
Dikko also said the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were actively involved to ensure timely disbursement of funds.
“The Ministry of Finance and CBN are on this, so everything will come on time,” he said.
NAN reports that the Super Eagles have been in fine form at the tournament, winning all their matches so far and scoring 12 goals on their way to the quarter-finals.
Nigeria will face Algeria’s Desert Foxes for a place in the semi-finals and are expected to travel from Fès to Marrakech on Thursday, ahead of the high-profile encounter scheduled for Saturday at the Stade de Marrakech.
