Super Falcons’ Bonus Crisis: How Not to Treat Champions
Duro Ikhazuagbe describes what can only be referred to as an unfortunate show of shame, with respect to the treatment of the Nigerian female football champions, the Super Falcons, who instead of being celebrated for their eighth victory in the African Wom
Nigerian sports has been in the news for all the negative reasons, in the last fortnight. It seems that the NFF is in breach of contract with regard to the Super Falcons female football team. Instead of savouring the pleasure of winning the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) for a record eighth time in Cameroon penultimate weekend, Nigerian football has been dragged in the dirtiest mud anyone can think of. The ladies who made the feat possible, the Super Falcons, have been up in arms with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the supervisory Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports headed by Mr Solomon Dalung (a lawyer).The reason for this face-off is nothing more than the players demanding their legitimate rights: They were asking for the allowances and match bonuses owed them by the NFF. Instead of being serenaded with adulations and material gifts for a job well done, the Nigerian ladies have been holed up in Agura Hotel in Abuja, insisting on getting their cash before leaving the Federal Capital City for their respective bases. From experience, the ladies know that if they don’t get all that they are entitled to before dispersing, it will become “another story for the gods” or as we say in local parlance “the money has gone into voice mail” no longer easy to retrieve.
As a surety, the Falcons have also been holding on to the continental trophy handed to them, after shaming the Indomitable Lionesses right in front of their President Paul Biya.
But the sad tale of the AWCON 2016 got to a climax last Wednesday in Abuja, when the ladies decided to take the matter to the National Assembly where President Muhammadu Buhari was scheduled to present the 2017 appropriation bill to the federal law makers. Of course, security operatives stopped them from gaining access to the Three Arms Zone of the seat of power, but the players and their sympathisers succeeded in drawing more attention to their plight. Those who didn’t know that they were being owed became aware. Anger and sympathy for the ladies gained momentum. While majority poured their venom on the NFF for being so callous and irresponsible, others chose to blame the Federal Government who did not make provisions for the team in this year’s budget.
An Abuja based female sports journalist, Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello, who led the ladies during the protest to the Presidency, insisted that the players deserved their benefits.
"The players deserve to be paid their dues because they have served the nation diligently. This is unfortunately a regular occurrence to female football in Nigeria. We treat our victorious girls with disdain and total disrespect at all times. It is disgraceful really."
"It is inconceivable that the NFF/Federal government is unwilling to pay the players their dues after winning the trophy. This has to stop and the girls must be paid their dues."
"We protesting thjs unfair treatment meted out to these champions who have won the tournament eight times, making them the most successful football team in Nigeria, and we hope the Federal Government will listen to their plea,” observed the female footballers rights advocate."
But an obviously embarrassed Chief of Staff to President Buhari, Abba Kyari, who met with the ladies, promised that their grievances would be sorted out in 48 hours (Friday).
As a father, Kyari, was touched by some of the matters raised in the Falcons’ placards.” Some read: “We are your children, pity us”; “Let us respect women”; “Female football deserves respect.” Although some NFF officials disputed the $24,500 per player debt, Kyari moved swiftly, and in a matter of hours President Buhari promised that the players’ benefits would be settled by Friday. He also summoned the leadership of the NFF to the Villa to explain how the situation got to this messy state.
The sorry state of the finances of the NFF is no strange news to discerning sports journalists. With the emergence of Amaju Pinnick as President of the Glass House, football followers were expecting a radical shift from previous beggarly disposition of the federation to government funding. Many had expected Pinnick to be able to woo Corporate Nigeria to partner NFF in its activities. But the power tussle between him and Jos-based club owner, Chris Giwa, effectively drove away potential sponsors, as no brand was prepared to be associated with the shenanigans going on, with several cases lined up in court. Even the only headline sponsor the NFF had before the coming of Pinnick failed to honour its commitment with the football house. Again with the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by this administration, all earnings by the NFF from its parent body, FIFA, went into the TSA account. Withdrawal processes have been likened to making the camel to pass through the eye of a needle. With its dwindling and about 11 national teams all participating in continental and global football fiesta, it was just a matter of time for the situation to get to the state they are now before the intervention of the Federal Government.
Unlike the Sports Minister who ignorantly told reporters in Abuja that part of the reason why the players were not paid, was because “nobody expected them to win and so provision was not made for them", NFF said in a statement on Thursday that they were still sourcing for funds as at the time the team took their case to the Presidency.
"We are grateful to the Presidency for the prompt action, and we believe this will put the minds of the players at rest. It has been a very difficult time for the NFF; no official of the Federation was happy that the players and officials could not be paid their entitlements immediately after the tournament."
"It is not as if the Federation did not plan to pay the players and officials their entitlements. The NFF expected some money from a number of sources but this did not work out. They are champions and deserve to be treated as such; there are no doubts about that,” NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, said in a press statement.
Olajire also stated that there was no time the NFF directed that the players should be ejected from their Agura Hotel, and decried claims that no official went to see the players at the hotel.
"Before the team played South Africa in the semi finals, the NFF reached out to some sources and raised money to pay each player the sum of N500,000. The NFF President was on the tarmac of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos to receive the team and celebrated with them on arrival, impressed it on NFF partner Emzor, to host the ladies to lunch and the company gave the team the sum of N1.6million."
"On arrival in Abuja, the team was received by the NFF General Secretary, Head of Protocol, Head of Women’s Football and the CEO of Jedo (a private organisation), Dr. Aliyu Oroje Wammako. The NFF impressed it on the management of Agura Hotel to ensure the comfort of the players and officials, while the Federation went about trying to raise money to pay their entitlements,” concludes the NFF spokesman."
However, watchers of the Glass House insisted that the Super Falcons’ matter is just one of the many financial matters besetting the federation. They insist that the football federation needs a life-line to be able to meet up with outstanding payments to coaches, players, hoteliers and other sundry bills, piled up there over the years, some dating back more than ten years ago. While Falcons are lucky to get the listening ear of the Presidency, Stephen Keshi who similarly won the male AFCON 2013 was being owed some amount in wages and bonuses before he died middle of this year. Even Amodu Shaibu suffered same fate before he also died.
"INSTEAD OF SAVOURING THE PLEASURE OF WINNING THE AFRICAN WOMEN’S CUP OF NATIONS (AWCON) FOR A RECORD EIGHTH TIME IN CAMEROON PENULTIMATE WEEKEND, NIGERIAN FOOTBALL HAS BEEN DRAGGED IN THE DIRTIEST MUD ANYONE CAN THINK OF. THE LADIES WHO MADE THE FEAT POSSIBLE, THE SUPER FALCONS, HAVE BEEN UP IN ARMS WITH THE NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION (NFF) AND THE SUPERVISORY FEDERAL MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS HEADED BY MR SOLOMON DALUNG (A LAWYER).THE REASON FOR THIS FACE-OFF IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE PLAYERS DEMANDING THEIR LEGITIMATE RIGHTS: THEY WERE ASKING FOR THE ALLOWANCES AND MATCH BONUSES OWED THEM BY THE NFF"