Dalung queries NFF’s $500,000 bill for Nigeria, Senegal friendly

’Rift with coach may force Musa out of national team’

Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, has asked the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to explain how it spent $500,000 on the Super Eagles’ international friendly against Senegal.

According to a local website, the NFF secured the money from sponsors and part of it was supposed to be used to pay players’ appearance fee for the game that ended 1-1 in London.

The federation reportedly spent all the money on the accommodation, feeding and return tickets for some of the players, and, therefore, has not been able to pay the players their appearance fee of $2,000 each.

The sports minister reportedly got interested in the affair when the NFF appealed to it to release its monthly allocation, saying it intends to use it to settle the players’ appearance fee. Dalung says he would only release the allocation when the federation explains how it spent the $500,000.

Meanwhile, Leicester City star, Ahmed Musa, who stepped down as Super Eagles’ vice captain before the international friendly against Senegal last week, may have played his last match for the team.

Musa decided to step down as the vice captain before the game when Coach Gernot Rohr informed him that Ogenyi Onazi would lead the team against Senegal in the absence of Skipper John Obi Mikel.

The decision, according to reports, infuriated Musa, who called the other players behind the coach to tell them of his decision to step down as vice captain before even telling the manager of his decision.

Owngoalnigeria.com, which covered the Super Eagles in London, reports that the Leicester City star might have played his lack game for the team after requesting to leave the team’s camp before the game against Senegal.

According to the report, “Something is definitely not right with Musa and Rohr. The way he left the camp on the grounds of family issues as claimed by Rohr is not true in anyway. He doesn’t seem happy with the coach after losing the vice captain role.

“Musa didn’t challenge Rohr openly but his reaction says it all. You know the Super Eagles coach is a very experienced man, so he is trying to play it down but I doubt if Musa will be called up for future games.”