Super Falcons Captain says $100, 000, other WAFCON 2024 promises still unfulfilled
Captain of the Super Falcons, Rasheedat Ajibade, has revealed that the Nigerian government is yet to pay the team the rewards promised for winning the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The Super Falcons pulled off a stunning comeback in the final against hosts Morocco, overturning a 2-0 first-half deficit to win 3-2.
Ajibade, who was named Player of the Tournament, had earlier used the trophy presentation with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urge the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to invest in better facilities to help the team compete at the highest level.
For winning the tournament, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded Nigeria $1 million, double the prize money given to the winners in 2022. President Tinubu later promised that each player would receive $100,000 (about ₦153 million), while 11 technical crew members would get $50,000 each (about ₦75.6 million).
The team was also awarded the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) national honour, furnished three-bedroom apartments in the “Renewed Hope” housing estate, and promised ₦10 million each from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
However, Ajibade has now confirmed that none of these promises have been delivered.
“We have not received our money. They haven’t delivered it. They will pay,” Ajibade told Chude in an interview. “All the promises we’ve been hearing, none have been fulfilled. Even our match bonuses are still pending.”
This is not the first time Nigerian footballers have spoken out about unpaid dues. In 2016, former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi revealed he paid for the Olympic football team’s flight to Brazil after the NFF failed to make necessary arrangements.
