CBN to credit players accounts soon - Sources

CBN to credit players accounts soon - Sources

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has put in motion plan to pay the Super Eagles players their unpaid bonuses.

This is sequel to the threat by Super Eagles players to boycott training as well as shun the trip to Marrakech on Thursday for the quarter final game against Algeria on Saturday.

According to Oganla Media, a top NFF official has revealed that the contentious match bonuses have been processed, stressing that the CBN would soon start crediting the players accounts.

"The monies have been processed from CBN to individual banks. The players and officials will receive all their bonuses when the process is completed," Oganla Media quoted the unnamed NFF official.

In a related development, a Nigerian journalist based in Canada, Adewale Ajayi, in a statement, urged Nigerian journalists to downplay the bonus issue.

"As much as anyone tries to paint this NFF and NSC black for content or for cheap popularity, it is always important as journalists, to always give these administrators the benefit of the doubt in such matters that could tarnish reputation and destroy integrity," he wrote. 

Ajayi, who argued that contrary to reports, said it wasn't true the players are being owed.

Explaining what led to the delay in the payment, Ajayi disclosed that the players after series of meetings with the NFF had insisted that they would prefer to be paid in foreign currencies anytime they are on international assignment outside Nigeria. 

"The money for all group matches against Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda was ready since last week, the team secretary informed the players and asked if they will want the monies paid directly into their Naira account as these monies were paid in the Nigeria currency but the players insisted that they want the money paid in dollars. 

"So what normally happens in such cases, is that the money is paid into their domiciliary accounts through the Central Bank of Nigeria. That process takes days and could extend into weeks. 

"Infact, my very reliable source told me that individual players have been shown evidence of payment and have been advised to wait for the money to drop in just a matter of days. I repeat, all first round bonuses have been paid and will drop in just a matter of days from now," Ajayi informed. 

He added "the NFF and indeed the Sports ministry have maintained regular contacts with the CBN and hopefully before the end of this week, the players will start getting their money my source confirmed." 

"For the second round win against Mozambique, the money has been processed and will soon go through the same process and hopefully, the players will start getting their alerts soon as promised."