Former Arsenal and England legend Ian Wright has intervened into the speculations between the Nigeria Football Federation and the country’s Women’s football team otherwise known as Super Falcons over their withheld salaries.
The English Tv personality has intervened and made the comments following the Super Falcon’s 3-2 win over Australia in the Women’s World Cup tournament on Thursday, calling on the country’s footballing body to pay the players their earned money.
The Englishman, using his verified Twitter handle wrote ” “Pay them!!! @thenff,” with a flag of Nigeria attached to the post.
The comment comes after the Super Falcon’s fascinating performance against Australia, who host the tournament.
According to a report by Daily Mail, the Super Falcons would not be paid their match bonuses following the declaration by FIFA that all players will receive £15,760 for their participation in the group stage of the tournament.
Furthermore, there were other payments yet to be made following each of Nigeria’s matches against Canada, Australia and Ireland.
The Daily Mail also reported that the team has once threatened to embark on strike before their first match against Canada, who are also in a middle of a dispute with their own FA, seeking equal pay and support with the men’s team.
Randy Waldrum, the Super Falcon’s manager has openly expressed his displeasure with the way his players are treated. His previous complaints include disagreements over unpaid wages, poor travel arrangements and cancellation of a pre-tournament camp leading up to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Daily Mail also report manager Waldrum saying “I know we are not prepared the way we need to be … I’ve been very frustrated with the federation and the lack of support.
“We were supposed to have a camp for 10 to 12 days in Nigeria before going to Australia for another 10 to 15 days, but the federation cancelled the home camp.
“We have less days than a College pre-season to prepare for the World Cup, and it blows my mind because we’ve known about this since last year,” Waldrum was quoted as saying on the Sounding Off on Soccer podcast.
However, despite the uncertainty of their payment, the Super Falcons have remained undefeated in their two opening games against Canada and Australia, and as such another victory or draw will see them through the knock-out stage.