The U20 team of Nigeria campaigning at the U20 World Cup will go into their round of 16 game against Argentina with the players and technical crew facing the possibility of exiting the tournament without getting paid a dime, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.
A source in the camp of the team revealed that since the team started their journey from the WAFU tournament through the Africa Cup of Nations and to the round of 16 of the World Cup, the players have only been paid $1,000.
The $1000 was paid to the players a few days ago at their camp in Argentina. For the coaches, the head coach of the team Ladan Bosso has only been paid three months salary out of the 15 months he has worked as coach of the team.
Bosso’s contract like that of U17 coach Nduka Ugbade and other youth team coaches will terminate if they fail to go beyond the round of 16. His contract is performance related and will be extended if he wins the tournament, which Nigeria has never won despite dominating at U17 level.
However the coach is using his experience to keep the players on their toes and focused for the game against host nation Argentina, effectively ensuring that there is no repeat of what happened in 2019, when the Nigerian team went on strike before a crucial game in the knock out round.
Players of the team in 2019 in Poland also refused to vacate their hotel unless they are paid all outstanding wages. A situation which led to FIFA placing a fine on Nigeria for the conduct of the players.
Damian Waziri
