Former Super Eagles head coach and captain Sunday Oliseh has publicly alleged that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) unlawfully pocketed a sum of $1 million from FIFA that was intended for the players who qualified the country for the 2002 World Cup.
Speaking on the Home Turf podcast, Oliseh claimed the NFF deliberately took action to prevent the qualifying players from receiving their agreed-upon share.
The Alleged Agreement and Disbandment
Oliseh stated that there was a clear agreement with the NFF to split FIFA’s $1 million World Cup qualification reward equally, with $500,000 allocated to be shared among the 30 players involved in the qualifiers. This would have amounted to approximately $18,000 per player.
According to Oliseh, the NFF swiftly moved to sabotage the deal:
“To get that money, NFF eliminated Oliseh and his assistant captain, Finidi George. We qualified to the finals and they disbanded the team. They made sure we did not get our share.”
He claimed that the only way the players could have been ensured their payment was if he, as the team leader, was present to ensure his colleagues received their due share.
Oliseh further asserted that the team that ultimately competed at the 2002 World Cup largely consisted of new players who were not involved in the qualification process.
“The team that went to that World Cup, 80% of that team didn’t play in the qualifiers. That means they didn’t get the share of that money.”
The accusation is the latest in a long history of disputes between former Nigerian players and the country’s football governing body regarding unpaid bonuses and allowances.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria
