Ibrahim Gusau, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), addressed the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on Thursday, August 24, to clarify that the match bonuses and allowances owed to Super Falcons players have been paid.
The committee, led by Hon. Blessing Onuh (APC, Benue), had previously insisted that the NFF President, rather than the Secretary-General, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, appear before them on Wednesday, August 23.
During the Thursday proceeding, the committee inquired about unpaid allowances for the Super Falcons in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In response, Gusau disclosed that no funding was allocated for the 2019 competition. However, he revealed that each of the 32 countries that qualified for the recently concluded 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand received $960,000 from FIFA to prepare their teams.
He clarified that this money couldn't be used to clear outstanding allowances from the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Gusau emphasized that after the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup, the Super Falcons, Nigeria's senior female football team, have been compensated and are no longer owed.
Despite this response, Hon. Blessing Onu, the chairperson of the House ad-hoc committee, expressed dissatisfaction and inquired about the funding of the Super Falcons in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted by France.
The committee directed the NFF to provide documents detailing the funding of the Super Falcons in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the breakdown of match bonus payments and slips for all 23 players, and the coaching staff by August 30, 2023.
In his earlier presentation, NFF President Gusau revealed that their funding primarily comes from CAF and FIFA, with no payments received from the federal government for staff and officials. He stated, “The Confederation of African Football (CAF) provides $250,000 per annum as a subvention fund.”