Super Falcons Threaten Strike and World Cup Boycott as NFF Cancels Bonuses
The Super Falcons are planning to stage a strike and boycott their opening game of the 2023 Women’s World Cup after the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, told them their match bonuses for the competition had been cancelled by the federation, as reported by The PUNCH.
According to a camp source, six senior players, including captain Onome Ebi, Rasheedat Ajibade, Asisat Oshoala, Ohale Osinachi, Tochukwu Oluehi, and Desire Oparanozie, held a meeting upon their arrival at the Mercure Resorts, Gold Coast, following Sanusi’s announcement.
The players are determined to press for their demands and are willing to go as far as missing their first game against Canada on July 21 to address the issue.
One senior player revealed to The PUNCH, “We are going ahead to press for our demands. We are ready to go as far as missing our first game against Canada on July 21 because this has to stop.” The player further stated that the next meeting will take place after they gather the necessary information, after which the protest will begin.
The decision to boycott the game came after Sanusi, during a meeting with the players shortly before their departure from Abuja for Australia on July 2, informed them that they would not be paid match bonuses by the federation. Sanusi justified this by stating that FIFA had already announced that each player would receive $30,000 during the group stage of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. He also revealed that the players would no longer receive 30% from the $1,560,000 FIFA grant allocated to all member associations for the group stage of the competition.
Speaking about the announcement, a source stated, “The General Secretary came for the meeting clutching so many papers; he told us that we won’t be paid match bonuses at the World Cup because FIFA had already given each player $30,000 for the group stage. He also said we won’t get 30% from the $1,560,000 FIFA would give the NFF.” The source expressed shock at the decision, and team morale declined as a result.
The PUNCH’s source further dismissed reports that American team coach Randy Waldrum had instigated the players to stage “a coup” against the federation, stating, “That’s not true, it’s a ploy to distract Nigerians from the truth. Randy has no hand in this. We’ve been suffering this maltreatment and injustice long before he took charge of the team.”
The source emphasized that the players have decided to stage a protest before the competition begins to bring attention to their situation, stating, “Since the federation is treating us like this, we have decided to stage a protest before the competition begins so that the whole world will know what we are passing through. We can’t keep suffering and smiling.”
As of the time of filing the report, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi did not respond to telephone calls, text messages, or WhatsApp messages on the matter.
This is not the first time the Falcons have been involved in a bonus row at an international tournament. In 2004, the team refused to travel back home after winning the WAFCON in South Africa, insisting they were paid their bonuses first.
