FG Clears Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 Bonuses After Resolving FX Delays

The Federal Government has confirmed that outstanding match bonuses owed to the Super Eagles at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco have been released, following the resolution of administrative and foreign exchange hurdles.

The confirmation was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, in a statement posted on her verified 𝕏 account on Thursday.

According to the minister, the payments were made after the government, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, addressed challenges linked to foreign exchange processing that had delayed the release of funds to the national team.

“I am pleased to provide an update on the administrative progress regarding the match bonuses for our national team at AFCON 2025,” she said. “The Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria have successfully streamlined the foreign exchange processing to ensure our players are rewarded without further delay.”

Uzoka-Anite disclosed that all group stage bonuses had been fully approved and cleared through the required regulatory channels, with transfers to the players’ accounts already in progress.

The development comes amid reports that the Super Eagles had considered staging a protest during the tournament, including a threat not to travel to Marrakesh for their next match against Algeria unless all outstanding bonuses were paid by the Nigeria Football Federation.

Addressing concerns over the form of payment, the minister said the government introduced fast-track conversion process to meet the players’ preference for foreign currency payments.

“We have implemented a fast track conversion process to move funds into foreign currency, honoring the players’ preferences,” she said.

She added that the final disbursements to the players’ domiciliary accounts were already underway and expected to reflect shortly. “The final transfers to domiciliary accounts are currently in flight. Players can expect these funds to reflect starting today or tomorrow,” she stated.

Uzoka-Anite also assured that measures had been put in place to avoid a repeat of such delays in the future. “Going forward, the process will be fully streamlined to ensure faster, more predictable disbursements aligned with international best practice,” she said.

Reaffirming the Federal Government’s support for the team, the minister said priority remained on ensuring the welfare of the players as the tournament enters its crucial stages.

“Our focus remains entirely on supporting the team’s welfare so they can maintain their incredible momentum in the knockout rounds,” she stated, adding that, “We move forward with one goal: bringing the trophy home.”