Ahead of this evening’s 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs against Gabon, former Watford striker Troy Deeney has faulted the decision of the Super Eagles to boycott training due to unpaid bonuses and allowances.
Recall that the entire squad, including backroom staff, refused to train on Tuesday due to long-standing financial grievances with football authorities.
The boycott comes just days before the Super Eagles face Gabon in the first semi-final of the World Cup Africa Playoff Tournament at the Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
Read Also:Gusau Upbeat Super Eagles Will For 2026 World Cup
The result of the match could determine Nigeria’s path to the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Despite the suspension of the strike, Deeney in a chat with CBS Sports Golazo, stated that the timing of the boycott was entirely incorrect.
“It’s a real shame because it’s a huge moment in the World Cup qualifiers and we are now talking about off-the-pitch stuff again.
“It’s not the first time, not the second time.”
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4 wonderful contrasts that would play out this evening:
DR Congo players promised, in fact money has been banked and authorized, $1m each if they win the playoffs on Sunday
Nigeria would practically have trained only once with a full house last night despite camp opening on Monday morning because of one of two things: having underestimated Gabon or weighed them and found them as ordinary PE students so money sharing was more important.
Cameroon has a coach who openly told the players they have no chance as he’s “mentally checked out” of the team so the team might have been dangerously discouraged by the shenanigans of Etoo led FA and government supremacy even though they have 2 key injuries but a rejuvenated man U striking star Mbeoma
Gabon, with a few Superstars, coached by their own who is managing a side, any side for the first time, a former player, having largely home based squad that looked close knit and the most potent of the 4 nations during the past WC qualifiers.
On paper vis-a-vis FIFA rankings, Nigeria is expected to stream roll two of the other 3 teams to go to a playoff that they will be finalists already and know their world cup foes this December.
Sometimes arrogance or self belief is good.
But when the round leather game is always unpredictable, taking chances in blindness will also be darkness inspired.
@Sly are you aware your sarcasm has a huge AIR Of Condensendacy?. and this is the problem Nigerians Still believe Giant of Africa is a birthright, which is funny because in all ramifications we are not even Giants of Anything in Africa except Population. Lest we forget all of you on this platform supported their boycott I hope you people will not turn on them in the event they fail..
As you rightly posted these boys only really trained once and they hope to beat a Gabon which in actual fact is the most trickiest of any team as one of their Players plays Week in week out with Osimhen at Club Level!, Bet non of you even cared to take note of that, So Basically Lemina would have already had a sit down with his coach (Who already has a strategy of stopping Osimhen in place) on further details of Osimhen’s game!.
Ademola Lookman’s form is hot and cold,
All of our European based players lost their league games this past Weekend. So they are coming in with a L on their heads for Clubs. Yet Bonus was more important to them than Qualifying and Preparing.
I JUST HOPE THAT ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED THE BOYCOTT DO NOT CHANGE YOUR STORY AFTER THIS EVENING .
May the best team win
Lol. Ugo, calm down. Any of both results will favour us in the interim.
Lose tonight, it’s bye bye to Gusau, Eguavoen, blabbermouth Olajire, the inept Sec Gen Muhammed Sanusi that railroad everyone to get another term last year against “federal character”, and NFF technical department for mismanaging our football at ALL LEVELS.
Win tonight and then on Sunday, some players will dream of attending the world cup for the first time EVEN THOUGH “slots” will be sold to highest bidder and we will hear unheard names in May (assuming we also scale through the other playoff in March) and doing so, keeping the worst NFF leadership for another year (hopefully, not another term by next September).
To be honest, many Nigerians are at a point where we don’t care whether we go to the world cup or not. Now we know why eagles practically “lost” the fighting spirit our team of those days was renowned with.
They were ill motivated for a long time. Remember, we have a lot of foreign born players now – perhaps, that’s why no new names have accepted to play for us. Our structure is malodorous.
Leon balogun was axed for leading such “rebellion” before. It seems the foreign born players in the eagles have “more spine” to demand their right.
NFF official claim 5 players spearheaded this boycott. Is it not humiliating FIFA chose to “pay players directly” at the FIFA women’s world cup in 2023 because of the same “curse” by NFF on falcons?
Eagles got prize money for finishing second at afcon in Cote d’ivoire. If NFF is cash strapped, was it not an avenue to “divert” all of the funds to pay up all the arrears they owed the players for once (forfeiting the NFF percentage)?
All NFF officials are wicked, heartless, demonic. Pinnick couldn’t manage to oversee the construction of an ordinary stadium in Delta state with money sent by FIFA because the organization was and is greedy.
In his mind, we are discussing kebbi mismanaged deal instead yet he’s in bed with FIFA council.
Lately, I’ve been thinking of designing an app that will wipe out all the money from those heads of organizations that refused to do the right thing that gladdens the hearts of millions of Nigerians.
Until one person is used as scapegoat, this boycott will keep repeating itself.
No wonder Nigerian football failed miserably this year and the decay had been systemic.
So, Ugo, tonight’s result will be a double edged sword.
And practically, I don’t give a damn again.
Win this playoff and NFF will say “results prove we were doing something right” or “Anyone can get a result with our very expensive in market value super Eagles” and the rot will continue.
Lose, and it’s deliverance at last, hopefully, because more demons will come out and say “South, through Pinnick, stayed for 8 years so another clueless northerner must be the next NFF chairman” and we go from frying pan to fire.
I pray arrongancy will not kill us today. For it is disrespectful to your opponents for you train once and expect to defeat who had had several sessions of training, perfected how to cage chukwueze, lookman, Simon make our iwo, onyeka and Ndidi looks ordinary.
You had chance of having two training session, blew one up because bonues were not paid.
To me it would have been better to play one first win then use the second one to threatening nff.
But they prefer to go the way. Like I said yesterday good luck to you guys. If you guys like win and if you guys also desire brake the heart fans again.
Well said @Wike. Wisdom is your wife.
TROY DEENEY SHOULD LEAVE THIS PLAYERS TO FIGHT FOR THEIR MONEY MANAGEMENT OWED THEM (despite it has been granted by FG, CAF & FIFA) WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DELAY.
DEENEY, THIS IS NOT ENGLAND( that knows how to put thing in places), THIS IS AFRICA ( Nigeria). AND WE NEED TO ACT LIKE AFRICA MAN IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE.
AFRICAN SHOULD STOP COPYING AMERICAN/EUROPEAN STYLE BEFORE THEY ACHIEVE RESULT.
I BELIEVE EVERYBODY KNOW THAT:
## EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY STYLE OF GOVERNMENT IS DIFFERENT FROM NIGERIA DEMOCRACY STYLE OF GOVERNMENT,
## EUROPEAN STYLE OF PLAY IS DIFFERENT FROM AFRICA(Nigeria) STYLE OF PLAY.
SENATORS, HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY MEMBERS SITTING ALLOWANCES WERE DULLY PAID WITHOUT DELAY .
** MANAGEMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CRITICIZE MASSIVELY FOR DELAYING THE PAYMENT OF ALLOWANCES/BONUSES WHEN CRUCIAL MATCHES IS AROUND THE CORNER.
EVEN THIS IS THE PERIOD NFF SUPPOSE TO ARRANGE/PREPARE A SPECIAL PACKAGE FOR ALL PLAYERS ( just like the way DR Congo President prepared special package of $1m for all players if they can defeat their Cameroon).
### TINUBU, CAF, & FIFA SHOULD INTERVENE ON THIS MATTER WHY DELAY IN PAYMENT OF PLAYER”s BONUSES/ALLOWANCES( SINCE MONEY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY FG, CAF & FIFA).