Nigeria’s Super Falcons storm parliament to
demand bonuses
Chief of Staff Malam Abba Kyari told the
footballers they would be paid within two days
|
Nigeria's victorious women's football team
have protested outside parliament in Abuja over unpaid win bonuses.
Their protest coincided with President
MuhammaduBuhari's arrival at the National Assembly to present next year's
budget.
The
African champions then marched to President Buhari's villa, where an aide said
they would be paid in two days.
They
have refused to leave a nearby hotel until they receive win bonuses of $17,150
each (£13,500).
At
the president's villa MrBuhari's Chief of Staff Malam Abba Kyari told them the
government was aware of their situation and promised it would be resolved
within two days.
Speaking
to the BBC's NaziruMikailu in Abuja, one of the players said they had decided
to go back to their hotel and wait for the government to fulfil its promise.
The
issue has also been attracting the attention of other Nigerian sport stars.
"My
feelings are hurt by the treatment of our champions, the Super Falcons. This
issue must be resolved for the dignity of our sports people," tweeted
former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo.
The Super Falcons clinched their eighth
women's Africa Cup of Nations title with a 1-0 win over hosts Cameroon on 3
December.
However
the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has so far paid them less than $2,000
each.
The
NFF is also understood to have promised to pay allowances for qualifying for
the tournament.
But
the organisation, which receives direct funding from government, is in dire
straits after Nigeria slipped into recession in August for the first time in
more than a decade.
It
is not the first time the Super Falcons and the NFF have clashed over unpaid
bonuses and allowances.
Twelve
years ago, the team remained in their hotel in South Africa for three days
after the Nigeria FA, as the NFF was then called, failed to pay their bonuses
for winning the 2004 African Women's Championship.
Nigerian
teams have frequently been affected by pay disputes, with coaches regularly
going unpaid and players boycotting training during qualifiers or at
tournaments over unpaid bonuses.
The
NFF's financial difficulties have forced them to cut backroom staff and slash
the salaries and allowances of the various national team coaches. However this
does not include new Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr.
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