The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have given an ultimatum to Tom Saintfeit to accept their salary offer or risk losing the Super Eagles job after his outrageous salary demand, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Saintfeit according to what we gathered and as first called by Nigerian journalist Tobi Adepoju is demanding for a monthly pay for $100,000, which the NFF deem as outrageous and unrealistic and they are only willing to pay half that amount.
Their proposal is $50,000 and it will cover any assistants that the coach wants to bring with him, but the coach who says he will need to pay compensation to his present employers the Philippines before leaving is adamant that it’s either his demand or not.
That impasse has brought about a halt in talks and a source at the football house said Saintfeit took them unaware because his representative told them he is open to collecting around $30,000 a month, when he indicated his interest in the job.
Now that he is the favourite he has raised his demands and if he doesn’t drop to what the NFF are willing to pay and have offered him, they will be forced to settle for the original choice in Eric Chelle who has no problem accepting the pay but other issues.
Chelle was picked by the technical committee of the NFF ahead of Saintfeit, but a breakdown in talks on the composition of his assistants ans backroom staff led to a collapse in talks.
It is another twist in the never ending soap opera for who will be the new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria as the date for the start of their AFCON qualifiers draws near.
In less than a month, they will face Benin Republic and Rwanda respectively in their opening two games of the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
