Time to follow Falcons’ money; NFF is like suspects of theft playing with a neighbour’s goat.

A Yoruba proverb that says won pe e ni ole, ongbe omo era jo aptly captures why well-meaning Nigerians must follow FIFA’s disbursement of World Cup money to players through federations instead of direct payment to players as earlier agreed 234sportsng.com OLUKAYODE THOMAS reports

Introduction

For a federation whose players, coaches, officials, and other categories of staff have protested again and again over unpaid allowances, bonuses, and salaries, NFF scored an own goal when some of its officials spoke against FIFA’s directive to pay 2023 Women’s World Cup money directly into players’ account.

It’s like a suspect of theft dancing with a neighbor’s goat.

Nigeria, because of NFF’s several suspicious practices was dragged in the mud in Australia during the Women’s Football World Cup by FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.

 While addressing the Super Falcons after their 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland Samoura noted, “It is because of Nigeria that for the first time in the history of FIFA, the FIFA Women's World Cup prize money will be paid directly to you, the players.”.

Why monitor FIFA’s disbursement

Another Yoruba proverb says malu ti ko niru, Oluwa ni ba le esisin (It is the Lord that helps drive away flies from a tailless cow).

We know it is only the children of the voiceless, who are equally voiceless that are into sports including women's football in Nigeria and that is why NFF officials treat them shabbily and deny them their entitlements.

If children of the elites play football for Nigeria, these same NFF officials that treat the nation’s number one image makers like dregs of the society will treat them like kings and queens.

A small example: Vietnam team at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup lost their first game to Netherlands 0-7, lost second to Portugal 0-2, and their final match to USA 0-3, yet the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) gave the team a heroic welcome on arrival in the country and awarded them VND1.8 billion ($75,800) in cash.

"You don’t need to win to get rewarded," said VFF chairman Tran Quoc Tuan. "We have many big goals in the future and hope that we can qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

But Our Girls who were the pride of the global media, who changed the image of Nigeria from negative to positive overnight, arrived like a thief in the night.

Apart from a few players who went to see the First Lady and some state Governors like Osun, Imo, Lagos, Abia, and others who hosted their state representatives, the NFF did not give the team a heroic welcome nor celebrate them.

Last chance for a big payday

Unlike their male counterparts, women's football is not lucrative even in the highly competitive European Women's Football League.

Women players are poorly paid compared to their male counterparts.

Players in the English Football League, men, and women are probably the highest-paid in the world.

But even in England, women are poorly paid. According to BBC the average woman in the English Women's League earn an average of $ 60,000 per annum.

The estimate by Telegraph is even lower. According to the paper, women league average wage is $50,000 per annum, this is less than what an average male in the EPL earns weekly.

So if women's football is not lucrative in Europe and elsewhere, one can only imagine the condition of players in the Nigerian league. 

Apart from a few stars like Asisat Oshoala who play abroad, the majority of our players in the Nigerian league are barely surviving.

Most of them are paid a living wage and are owed for several months. The conditions in most of the clubs, mostly owned by state governments are deplorable.  Participation in the Wafcon and Olympics does not give financial breakthroughs; it’s only the FIFA Women’s World Cup that guarantees a big payday.

The $60,000 per player, these set of players are set to receive from FIFA money could be the biggest payday for them.

There is no guarantee that Nigeria may qualify for the next World Cup with the way NFF is running our football.

Even if Nigeria qualifies, most of the players who played in 2023 may not be there due to age, loss of form, injuries, and others.

And football we all know has no secondhand value that is why all men of goodwill must monitor the money from FIFA and ensure the players are duly paid their due.

Peradventure, if they are underpaid, we must report it and shame those responsible.

NFF antecedents are not palatable

This is not about maligning NFF or calling a dog a bad name in other to hang it rather the antecedents of NFF call for vigilance.

Under the immediate past board led by Amaju Pinnick, the Falcons were denied bonuses and allowances several times leading to international disgrace for Nigeria.

Examples include the 2016 Wafcon, Falcons were not paid bonuses of US$23,650 due to them.

 The players occupied a hotel in Abuja and refused to leave until they were paid. The sit-in protest lasted for 13 days and included a march to the National Assembly and the then President Muhammadu Buhari's home to demand payment.

It took a march to Buhari's villa, where his Chief of Staff late Abba Kyari ensured the matter was resolved.

In 2016 Falcons refused to leave their hotel in France after their elimination by Germany in the World Cup in protest against non-payment of bonuses by the NFF dating back to 2016.

Falcons are owed allowances for matches played against Gambia and Senegal as well as five-day camp bonuses for the World Cup.

Pinnick then NFF president said the players are not owed any outstanding bonuses except the World Cup participation fee.

But owing players predates the Pinnick era, after winning the 2004 African Women's Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Nigerian national team's players were not paid bonuses promised by the NFA then.

The team staged a sit-in protest at their hotel for three days until the bonuses were paid.

Then President Olusegun Obasanjo chastised the protest as a "national embarrassment".

At the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China, the Nigerian national team players boycotted training after the team's second group-stage match against North Korea over back pay bonuses. Ditto the 2022 Wafcon in Morocco.

In the 2023 World Cup, the Falcons after arriving at their hotel in Gold Coast, Queensland, senior players Onome Ebi, Rasheedat Ajibade, Asisat Oshoala, Osinachi Ohale, Tochukwu Oluehi, and Desire Oparanozie discussed a potential response, including the possibility of striking and boycotting their opening group-stage match against Canada.

Players said NFF justified cancelling bonuses because FIFA had agreed to directly pay group-stage players $30,000.

The 23-player squad unanimously voted to take action and requested assistance from international players' union FIFPRO.

Nigeria manager Randy Waldrum also claimed that he was owed 14 months' pay and had received half of it and that some players had still not received pay due for two years prior or daily expense reimbursement for the team's 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

Waldrum more pointedly questioned where a $960,000 grant from FIFA to the NFF intended for the Super Falcons had gone.

With the above antecedents, one cannot but understand why men and women of goodwill must monitor NFF and ensure players get their dues as at when due.

PULL: If children of the elites play football for Nigeria, these

same NFF officials that treat the nation’s number one image makers like dregs of the society will treat them like kings and queens.

PULL: And football we all know has no secondhand value that is why all men of goodwill must monitor the money from FIFA and ensure the players are duly paid their due.