The storm over the Super Eagles’ troubled World Cup qualifier preparations in Morocco has dramatically escalated, with Femi Soneye, a Nigerian media executive and former NNPCL spokesperson, launching a fierce criticism on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Soneye explicitly accused NFF officials of gross incompetence and corruption.
Soneye’s reaction followed reports that the national team had not held any training or tactical sessions barely a day before their crucial match against Gabon.
He labeled the preparation debacle “a shameful reflection of failed leadership.”
He said: “Reports coming out of Morocco this morning paint a disgraceful picture.
“Instead of training, our players are stuck in endless negotiations over unpaid bonuses. It’s unacceptable and deeply embarrassing.”
The outspoken media mogul didn’t mince words in condemning the football administrators, branding them “hustlers” who have no business managing the game.
“These are not football administrators; they are hustlers who should be selling groundnuts in the market, not deciding the fate of Nigerian football,” Soneye fumed.
“They have turned our heroes into beggars, and it’s a national disgrace.”
His criticism comes amid the disruptive players’ strike currently underway in the Super Eagles’ camp in Rabat, where the team is refusing to train for the crucial World Cup playoff against Gabon.
Confirmed by team captain William Troost-Ekong, the protest is motivated by unpaid bonuses and allowances that have accumulated over several years, beginning in 2019.
Troost-Ekong took to social media on Wednesday to clarify the team’s position, writing: “Any other statement or claim especially demands other than the rightful request written below are false.
” The full squad, including officials, boycotted training today in Morocco because of unresolved issues with outstanding payments.”
The players, in a joint statement, noted that they are not demanding any new or special payments, only the settlement of their long-overdue entitlements.
“The Super Eagles are awaiting a quick resolution to continue preparation for Thursday’s game with Gabon,” the statement said.
Soneye said the scandal underscores the rot within Nigeria’s football system, warning that continued mismanagement could destroy what little remains of the nation’s sporting pride.
“We cannot keep rewarding failure and corruption. The players have done their part; it’s the administrators who are dragging our football into the mud.”
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