AFCON 2025: Captain Ndidi puts out the fire by offering to sort out unpaid bonuses
.jpg)
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 09.01.26. | 14:51
Super Eagles, who previously threatened to boycott the clash against Algeria, have been banned from talking to journalists during their open training
When Nigeria stood on the brink of chaos, captian Wilfred Ndidi stepped forward.
With unpaid bonuses threatening to derail the Super Eagles just days before their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final against Algeria scheduled for Saturday (7 pm), the captain made a promise that cut through the noise of crisis and anger:
"If the money doesn't come, I will pay it myself."
It was not a gesture for headlines. It was an act of leadership.
Nigeria’s players had been pushed to the edge. After four straight victories - Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Mozambique - the bonuses they had been promised never arrived. Training was at risk. The trip to Marrakech was delayed. The word boycott hovered over the squad like a storm cloud.
And in the middle of it all stood Ndidi.
For days, the 29-year-old Besiktas midfielder worked behind the scenes to keep the squad together, urging them to train, to travel, to play. He spoke to teammates, coaches and staff. He refused to let the dressing room fracture.
"I've been pushing the team to train and play since the second game," Ndidi said.
"I told the players and the staff that I would personally pay the bonuses if the authorities don't."
That promise changed everything.
The team travelled and the training resumed. The Super Eagles arrived in Marrakech, but the scars of the standoff were still visible. Players were banned from speaking to the media during open training on Thursday, a rare show of tension inside a squad that had been perfect on the pitch but turbulent behind the scenes.
The Nigerian government, sensing the danger, finally stepped in. State Minister for Finance Doris Uzoka-Anite promised the payments would reach players' accounts "today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday)," blaming the delay on issues converting funds into foreign currency.
"The final payments are being processed," she assured.
But until the money arrives, the squad has something even stronger: Ndidi's word.
His intervention went beyond finance. It steadied a team already rattled by rumours of internal conflicts, including false reports of a rift between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman. Ndidi became the shield, deflecting every off-field distraction so Nigeria could focus on the battlefield.
If Nigeria defeat Algeria, they will face either Morocco or Cameroon in the semi-final. Win again, and the final could bring maybe Salah's Egypt or Mane's Senegal.
AFCON 2025 - ROUND OF 16
Friday
19.00: (6.90) Mali (3.65) Senegal (1.63)
22.00: (7.00) Cameroon (3.70) Morocco (1.63)
Saturday
19.00: (3.30) Algeria (3.15) Nigeria (2.45)
22.00: (3.30) Egypt (2.85) Ivory Coast (2.55)
***odds are subject to change***
