‘Pinnick left us with unpaid bonus of about $100,000 per player’

NFF President Amaju Pinnick PHOTO: Twitter

The tenure of former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick, has been described as the worst ever for players of the senior national team in terms of their bonuses and other entitlement.

Pinnick was at the helm as president of the NFF for eight years, and was only forced out after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Delta state-born football administrator was aiming for a third time in office before the team was beaten by the Black Stars of Ghana, a defeat, which made his dream unrealistic.

Ibrahim Musa Gusau has succeeded Pinnick, but the mess he left behind will still hunt the present board, especially in the area of unpaid bonuses.

A senior player of the Super Eagles told www.owngoalnigeria.com that they didn’t receive any bonus in the last two years of Pinnick’s reign as NFF President.

“It can’t be that bad again, and I am not sure it has ever been that bad. For two years that I was in the team, not a single bonus was paid to us. The senior players told us they got their bonus of the 2019 AFCON in 2021. Pinnick left without making the payment, and now the new board will have to settle us,” he told OGN on the condition of anonymity.

On the amount due to each player, he said from his ends and several other players, Pinnick, who is now a FIFA executive committee member, left them each with around $1000,000 unpaid in bonuses.

“I have not been in the team for a while, but for the period of time I was there and my recent interaction with my teammates, it is around $100,000 per player.”

I heard the new NFF President said he would meet with the captains to clear it up. For now, I am afraid we might never get that money back,” he