Nigeria’s World Cup hopes jeopardized by player strike over unpaid bonuses
The World Cup qualifying campaign of Nigeria has been thrown into chaos as the entire Super Eagles squad boycotted a crucial training session in Morocco. The protest, just two days before their playoff semi-final against Gabon, stems from unpaid bonuses dating back to 2019, including fees for the recent AFCON and World Cup qualifiers.
Team captain William Troost-Ekong confirmed the squad will not return to training until a resolution is found.
With the high-stakes match looming, the boycott severely disrupts Coach Eric Sekou Chelle’s final preparations, potentially leaving him with just one full session with his complete team.
The Nigeria Football Federation president is currently in Morocco negotiating with players, but a solution had not been reached by Tuesday night.
An NFF source stated the issue has been escalated to “the highest levels of government.”
While the Super Eagles have a history of delivering results despite internal disputes winning the 1996 Olympics and 2014 World Cup matches amid similar rows the timing of this protest is particularly damaging.
The coach of Gabon has already promised to aggressively exploit any Nigerian disarray.
The standoff presents a critical test of the current squad’s resilience as they fight for a coveted World Cup ticket.
