Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi has pledged to personally pay his teammates’ and officials’ unpaid match bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco if the Federal Government fails to do so before Saturday’s quarter-final clash against Algeria.
Ndidi told BBC journalist Oluwashina Okeleji on Thursday that he has been motivating the team since their second game despite the bonus delays. “I’ve made a commitment to the staff and players that I’ll personally pay the bonuses if the authorities fail to before Saturday,” he said. “I don’t want these unpaid bonuses to affect our preparations.”
Reports had emerged of potential boycotts by players and officials over unpaid bonuses for the three group-stage matches and the round of 16. In response, the Office of the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, confirmed that group-stage funds had been released and cleared the necessary regulatory processes. She added that a fast-track foreign exchange process has been implemented to ensure timely payments in players’ preferred currency, with transfers expected to reflect between Thursday and Friday.
Ndidi and the Super Eagles arrived in Marrakech on Thursday and conducted another training session ahead of Saturday’s match. Nigeria is aiming for its fourth AFCON title, having previously won in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
