The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced that FIFA will still be paying the prize money for the 2023 Women’s World Cup (WWC) through the country’s football federations.
This clarification was made by Aisha Falode, the chair of the Nigerian Women’s Football League (NWFL), during an interview with Lagos Talks FM on Wednesday.
The announcement comes after the Super Falcons, Nigeria’s women’s football team, qualified for the second round of the WWC. FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura, stated that the governing body has modified its policy on player remuneration in response to unpaid allowance issues involving the Nigerian women’s football team. To ensure that players receive their rightful earnings without any interference, FIFA will “ring-fence” the prize money.
Following Samoura’s announcement, there was a wave of controversy on social media, with some users accusing FIFA of “shaming” the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
However, Falode clarified that the prize money earned by the Super Falcons during the ongoing World Cup would still be routed through the NFF, as FIFA had instructed. She emphasized that FIFA’s directive was to ensure that the money reaches the players without any direct intervention from a third party.
“FIFA did not say it would pay the players directly. It says working through the member association – working through your federations, we will pay you this money through the federations,” explained the NWFL chair. “FIFA will pay the federations the money, and the federation pays the players with the instruction. Everybody knows it is there in black and white.”
According to FIFA’s previous announcement, every player participating in the World Cup group stage would earn $30,000. The match bonuses were set to increase to $60,000 in the second round of the competition.
With the Super Falcons successfully qualifying for the round of 16 after finishing second in group B, each player on the team will be earning at least $60,000 for their remarkable feat.
The upcoming second-round contest will see Nigeria face off against England on Monday. As excitement builds around the prestigious tournament, football fans eagerly await the thrilling matchup between these two powerhouse teams.
With FIFA’s assurance of a smooth payment process through Nigeria’s football federations, the players can now focus solely on delivering top-notch performances on the field. The 2023 Women’s World Cup continues to captivate global audiences, celebrating the spirit and talent of women’s football on the grandest stage possible.
Comments are closed.