Oliseh Alleges NFF Withheld $1 Million From 2002 World Cup Qualifiers Players

Former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has accused the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of withholding $1 million from FIFA that was meant to reward players for helping Nigeria qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

Speaking on the Home Turf podcast, Oliseh said there had been a clear agreement to split the money evenly, with half going to the players who participated in the qualifying matches. According to him, each of the 30 players was supposed to receive around $18,000.

Oliseh claimed the NFF, however, removed him and his assistant captain, Finidi George, from the team to prevent the payout.

“We qualified for the World Cup, but the federation disbanded the team and kept the money. The squad that eventually went to the finals largely hadn’t played in the qualifiers, so they were never entitled to that reward,” Oliseh said.

He emphasized that the players would only have received their share if he had been present to ensure the arrangement was honored.

The former coach’s revelations add to longstanding allegations of mismanagement and lack of transparency within the NFF.