Unpaid bonuses: Super Eagles halt standoff, head to Marrakesh for AFCON 2025 Q’final

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have arrived in Marrakesh, Morocco, ahead of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final clash against Algeria.

Earlier on Wednesday, players and officials had threatened to boycott the trip to Marrakesh over unpaid allowances, raising concerns about their participation.

Despite the standoff, the team successfully traveled from Fez, their previous base, to Marrakesh on Thursday.

Nigeria is set to face Algeria on Saturday in Marrakesh, a city approximately five hours from Fez.

The Eagles remain one of the standout teams in the tournament, having won all their previous matches, and their fans are hopeful that they will continue their strong run in the knockout stage.

The protest forced the federal government to fast-track the payment of the match bonuses for the Eagles’ four previous matches at the 2025 AFCON.

Doris Uzoka-Anite, the minister of state finance, said the payment was delayed by the “conversion process to move funds into foreign currency” which was the “players’ preferences”.

She added that the final transfers of the fund into the players’ domiciliary accounts will be reflected in a few days.

The intervention seemed sufficient for the team, and the players have made the journey to the host city of their game against Algeria.

The quarter-final match will be a clash between the Eagles, the best attack in the competition with 12 goals, and Algeria, the best defence with just one goal conceded in four games.

The last time Nigeria played Algeria at the AFCON was in 2019. A Riyad Mahrez late freekick sent the Foxes into the final, and they eventually won the competition.

The winner of the match will face either Morocco or Cameroon in the semi-final.

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