We’ve no money to pay Super Falcons’ 2019 allowances – Ibrahim Gusau

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has shed light on the disputed matter of match bonuses and allowances between the organization and the Super Falcons.

Ibrahim Gusau, the President of NFF, shared this clarification in Abuja on Thursday during his appearance before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee addressing the disagreement involving the Super Falcons and NFF.

Gusau revealed that while no direct funding was allocated for participation, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, saw $960,000 distributed among all 32 qualified countries. This financial provision by FIFA is intended for the countries to prepare their teams for the World Cup.

He further explained that NFF’s primary funding sources are typically CAF and FIFA. He emphasized that there were no direct payments from the Federal Government to support staff and officials; instead, operational costs were covered by FIFA.

Gusau clarified, “The Confederation of African Football (CAF) provides $250,000 annually as a subvention fund,” adding, “We cannot utilize this allocation to settle outstanding allowances from the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

During the proceedings, Blessing Onu, the committee’s chairperson, raised inquiries regarding how NFF managed to finance the Super Falcons during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

She requested that NFF provide documentation showcasing the funding approach for the Super Falcons in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, an itemized breakdown of match bonuses, payment records for the 23 players, and the coaching staff before August 30.