Super Eagles goalkeeper John Noble says he will resist the temptation of dragging the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to FIFA over his unpaid 2021 AFCON bonus of $25,000. The unpaid bonus became a subject of interest last year after reports indicated that he was the only member of the AFCON 2021 squad still awaiting payment.
Noble opened up about the row, noting that the NFF has yet to fulfil its promises. “It’s been over a year now and I’m tired of asking; I just pray they will pay it,” he told the press. He added, “It’s possible that I report to FIFA, but this is my country and I don’t want to do anything that will tarnish its image. All this while, I never wanted to say anything; I’ve just been begging, but it seems the more I beg, the longer it takes.”
The NFF, through its Director of Media and Communications Ademola Olajire, confirmed last year that Noble would soon be paid, stating that banking procedures that delayed the payment had been resolved. Olajire also dismissed reports that the federation had banned the goalkeeper from the national team after he resorted to the media to press his claims.
Noble, however, said the NFF has only kept promising, while he learned that the federation has recently paid other players and officials. “Recently, the sister of my roommate, who was part of the last U‑17 team at the World Cup in India, told her brother that the NFF had paid their money. That hit me again—my payment is still pending, and I felt so bad,” he explained. “They gave me all the assurances last year in November. I called again in December and they said it wouldn’t exceed January. I called again in January and it was the same thing. Knowing that I have that kind of money somewhere and that others have been paid is really affecting me.”
Noble was part of the Super Eagles squad at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, where Nigeria were eliminated in the knockout stage by Tunisia.
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