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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has had his say on the controversial ongoing pay dispute between the Nigerian Women’s team and the country’s football association.
The Super Falcons will not be paid their tournament match bonuses, following an announcement from FIFA that all players would receive around £15,760 for participation in the group stages of the tournament.
There were set to be separate payments following each of Nigeria’s group games – against Canada, Australia and Ireland – in addition to this.
The team had even threatened to go on strike for the first match of the competition against Canada – who are also in the middle of a pay dispute with their own FA seeking equal pay and support with the men’s team.
Now, though, after a stunning win against hosts Australia, Wright has taken to social media to send out his message of support for the Nigerians.
“Pay them @thenff!!!!!!” Wright wrote, lending his voice to the country’s continuing dispute between players and governing body.
It has been a debate bubbling away beneath the surface of Nigerian women’s football for some time, with manager Randy Waldrum outspoken in his criticisms over the treatment of his players.
His previous complaints include disagreements over unpaid wages, poor travel arrangements and the cancellation of a pre-tournament camp leading up to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Nigerian squad even resorted to enlisting the help of global players’ union FIFPRO over the matter.
“I know we are not prepared the way we need to be … I’ve been very frustrated with the federation and the lack of support,” Waldrum told Soccer podcast.
“We were supposed to have a camp for 10 to 12 days in Nigeria before going to Australia for another 10 to 15 days, but the federation cancelled the home camp.
“We have less days than a college pre-season to prepare for the World Cup, and it blows my mind because we’ve known about this since last year.’
His thoughts were unsurprisingly met with disapproval from the Nigerian Football Federation.
Federation representative Ademola Olajire called for Waldrum to “simply concentrate on the task at hand.”