Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations 2025 campaign has been thrown into serious turmoil after Super Eagles players and coaching staff decided not to travel to Marrakech on Thursday, just two days before their crucial quarter-final clash against Algeria.
The decision follows confirmation within the camp that match bonuses from four games against (Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Mozambique), remain unpaid.
AFCON 2025 Crisis as Players Refuse to Move Until Four Match Bonuses Are Paid
According to reports from within the team, the players have also resolved not to train until the outstanding payments are settled.
Despite the standoff, the squad is understood to be fully committed to the national cause and remains focused on Saturday’s quarter-final showdown.
The action, however, is being used as leverage to demand what is owed.
AFCON Momentum Threatened
The development has sparked widespread disappointment and anger, particularly given Nigeria’s strong showing at AFCON 2025 so far.
The Super Eagles have:
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Won all their group matches
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Scored freely
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Advanced confidently into the quarter-finals
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Emerged as one of the tournament favourites
Not the First Time: A Familiar and Painful Pattern
Disturbingly, this is not an isolated incident.
A similar crisis occurred in November 2025, ahead of Nigeria’s World Cup playoff against Gabon, when players reportedly:
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Refused to train
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Declined to leave their hotel
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Protested unpaid wages that had been outstanding for over six months
That episode ended in embarrassment for Nigerian football, and the recurrence of such issues has only deepened concerns.
“Unreasonable” Treatment of Players
Critics have slammed the failure to honour financial commitments, describing it as:
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Unreasonable
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Damaging to team morale
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Harmful to Nigeria’s football image
Players who have left their clubs, families and personal commitments to represent the country are once again being placed in an avoidable and demoralizing situation.
Read More: FINALLY: Promises Kept on the Eve of Battle as Super Eagles Receive National Honours, Houses and Land
Read More: Super Eagles Shift Focus to Gabon after Resolution with NFF over Bonus Dispute
Read More: OFFICIAL: Nigeria’s Super Eagles Set for Algeria Re-Match for AFCON 2025 Quarterfinals
Algeria Quarter-Final Now Under a Cloud
With Nigeria set to face a strong and organised Algerian side in the quarter-finals, the timing of the crisis could hardly be worse.
What should have been a period of tactical preparation, recovery and focus has instead been overshadowed by administrative failure, raising serious questions about leadership and governance.
Unless the situation is resolved swiftly, Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 ambitions risk being undermined not on the pitch, but off it, which is a recurring and deeply frustrating theme in the nation’s football history.
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