FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura, has assured the Super Falcons that they will get their 2023 Women’s World Cup prize money directly from the Federation and not from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Recall that the players had previously threatened to go on strike for the first match of the campaign against Canada, who are also involved in a salary dispute with their own FA, requesting equal pay and support with the men’s team.
However, Samoura told the Super Falcons players after their 0-0 tie with the Republic of Ireland in the Women’s World Cup that she understands how difficult it has been and that they must “face the reality of Nigeria.”
She did, however, emphasize that the prize money would be paid to the players for the first time.
Samoura, on the other hand, praised the Super Falcons for progressing to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, a first for an African team in the competition.
“It is because of you that for the first time in the history of FIFA, the FIFA women world cup prize money will be paid directly to you, the players,” Samoura said, amid cheers from the nine-time African champions.
“I must say that I am proud of you. As you know, I am the first woman to be Secretary General of FIFA since the organisation was founded in 1904, and I am also an African. So, I am easily excited by any accomplishment that glorifies women’s football and African football,” she said.
“You have won one match here, as Morocco and Zambia, but you are the only team that has made it to the knock-out stage yet. I am also excited because when FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced my name as the new FIFA Secretary-General, I was in Nigeria working for the United Nations. So, Nigeria is a second home for me.
“You should continue to believe in yourselves and play as a team, and be ready to lift the African flag higher in this tournament.”
17 Comments
Nff members will be , this is good no room for stories.
CRYING
Hallelujah… Glory and praise to God. May this method apply to all national teams.
But those nff crooks still have $1.7 million they collected from the FG. This is separate and it includes winning bonus fron group stage to the final.
Samoura acknowledged that FIFA has to “face the reality of Nigeria”.
This reality needs to be faced urgently and decisively.
From these words, it is evident that FIFA has now singled out NFF Onigbese as a problem federation. It’s been a long time coming, BUT BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.
Can they go a step further by paying our coaches directly? Perhaps that’s asking too much of FIFA, but na condition make crayfish bend. If it’s possible, they should please go ahead.
In fact, I subscribe to your suggestion, to let FIFA retain whatever money they have for NFF and start paying our coaches directly.
This will eliminate hiring the wrong coaches as there will be no more kickbacks or slashes from coaches’ salaries by the powerful cabal underneath NFF.
Then Nigeria can attract high-flying coaches knowing that salaries will not be an issue.
We can even suggest that FIFA should deduct a percentage from our money as administrative fee. Better for FIFA to withhold 5% or 10% and use the rest to fund our football expenses, than for 100% of the money to line private pockets.
This is a national disgrace, for an ant-theft law to be passed by FIFA because of Nigeria. But trust the NFF to find a way of chopping that money
I think Ian Wright’s tweet helped to escalate the issue also and it helped.
I was about saying this too. They will find a way to get a chunk of it from the players. After all , they still call the shots and the girls still have to dance to their tune.
“It is because of you that for the first time in the history of FIFA, the FIFA women world cup prize money will be paid directly to you, the players,” Samoura said, amid cheers from the nine-time African champions
You should continue to believe in yourselves and play as a team, and be ready to lift the African flag higher in this tournament.”
Many thanks to you, Madam. Well spoken. Keep breaking the record, Super Falcons. You ladies still have so many records to be break and I want you Falcons to show NFF the AJĘWOMASAN the debtor that Falcons have changed the way they will be receiving money.
I know the AJĘWOMASAN NFF will be pained by this move, lol. We are just telling you leaders that we want transparency and dignity in Nigeria period. God bless Nigeria!!!
I will eternally be grateful to Randy Waldrum for those two “hit singles” he released before this world cup.
He might not know, but he has kickstarted a revolution in Nigerian football. Things will definitely never remain the same.
And thanks to people like Ian Wright for also lending their voices too.
It has taken An American and a British to do what our Lazy ex-internationals cannot do. Shame on them all…!!!
The other national team coaches can continue to remain humble servants and keep quiet ehn……SF has just earned the NFF another $1.8m or thereabout. If they like, they should not stampede Gusau into paying them their own owed salaries too. Heavens they say help those who help themselves.
The girls are now $60k richer (at least for the time being)….what a rush…!!!
This should not just go like that….we want to see resignations….we want to see probes…..we want to see arrests……we want to see audit reports……When we raise alarm on the players selection to the national team people called us names and even defended the NFF…….Even a blind man knows that something is fundermantally wrong with our football but some ignorant fans keep manufacturing weak excuses to support this dirty activities going on inside our football….what a shame…..Our football is been turned into a market place where the highest bidder takes it all……You see players that are not worth playing for Nigeria having a run in our national team with so much ease and when you raise alarm they tell you stories……We need to wake up.
This development is not good for NFF at all…..They brought this disgrace upon themselves…. Like you said, they should not sweep this under the carpet…. There must be accountability…Let NFF begin to account for all the money spent on football matters in the last 8 years. They play all these wayo because no one is asking because of the fears of FIFA. And now that FIFA understands the reality on ground and the peculiar mess of football administration in Nigeria, this is the right time to call for accountability and whoever is in infraction of the law should meet with with full weight of the law. The opportunity to sanitize our football and sports administration is here. Now is the time to act.
How I WISH FIFA started PAYING DIRECTLY from the TIME of GENERAL ROAR,WE would’ve gone FAR in that RUSSIA WORLD CUP
Cos those LACK of SALARY really AFFECTED GENERAL ROAR and the BOYS PERFORMANCE….
Why us Nigeria ? We notorious for corruption, thieving and shoddy preparation. It is in our blood. The bad genies in us for light fingerings is unmatchable. In another climes, the NFF should have resigned enmass for this shame. If the world body knows all about their rubbish they should also in disbanding NFF.
Bravo Ms Samoura.But Fifa also give them protection whenever government step in.They will always call it “government interference”.This is a direct indictment and in other climes, you will see mass resignation. But no, this is Nigeria.
I read the garbage that Sam Sodje spewed in defence of the NFF yesterday and I laughed in his native uhrobo Language. Like for real Sam? where were you when the girls were staying back in their hotel rooms and protesting non payment of their entitlements? where were you when the crooked NFF shortchanged them with bonuses and allowances? Is it not a shame to our so called ex international that it took Ian Wright in far away UK to complain? The revolution needed start with amendments to the NFF statutes to allow credible people to contest elections into the NFF positions