The international friendly game between Nigeria and Portugal which was played in Lisbon on Thursday wouldn’t have gone ahead if not for the intervention of coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro.
Players of the Nigerian team have only been paid their match bonus once in three years with bonuses for over ten games still unpaid. They were ready to down toll and not honour the game until they get a commitment from the new president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Musa Gusau.
Gusau didn’t travel for the game like some other back room staff of the team citing paucity of funds. The players were left disappointed as the game would have afforded them the chance to meet the him and table some of their problems and way forward before the start of competitive games next year.
In his absence, they decided to make thei case by snubbing the game but were talked out of it by Jose Peseiro, whose idea it was for the game to be played against his country of origin. His intervention saved Nigeria from what would have been a monumental disgrace at the world stage.
Peseiro told the players that he hasn’t been paid as well and pleaded with them to give the new president time to fully take stock of the situation he is in before taking any further step. He said he is aware that measures are been put in place to clear his salary and the bonuses of the players.
