Alhaji Aminu Maigari, the Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) said on Wednesday in Abuja that the Super Eagles would receive 5,000 dollars as win bonus as they confront Malawi on Saturday.
The Super Eagles will play host to the Flames of Malawi in a return-leg of the 2014 FIFA World cup qualifier scheduled to take place in Calabar.
The first leg had ended 1-1 apiece in Blantyre, Malawi, in June.
Maigari told newsmen in Abuja at a news conference that the Eagles bonus row was been over-flogged.
He said that it was only wise for the Ministerial committee set up to investigate the matter to forge the way forward.
The NFA boss however, noted that while the report of the committee was being awaited, the football house would be concerned with paying the Eagles “their normal five thousand dollars win bonus’’.
“You know just of recent, the minister set up a panel to investigate, advice and come out with a resolution on the bonus row.
“So let us give them the benefit of doubt to work. But as far as the NFA is concerned, we are paying our normal five thousand dollars winning bonus,’’ Maigari said.
Meanwhile, Godfrey Gaiya, the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Sports has advised the NFA not to be quick in implementing the report of the ministerial committee on the bonus row.
Gaiya told newsmen in Abuja that the NFA was trying to jeopardise Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
“We have appealed to everybody to allow the status quo ante to be maintained; if there is any report at all, it has not been made public.
“We are advising that whatever the report contains should be kept aside so that this match will be implemented with the existing system.
“That is, paying the players what they ought to be paid as at the last match. If thereafter, there is a new thinking and there is a new reason to justify any change, that should not be before this match.
“The win bonus for now is 10, 000 dollars and when they win we expect that money to be paid to them, nothing has changed from what it used to be even though there is a report on the minister’s table.
“A statement has not been made, so it is assumed that we are still waiting for a pronouncement to be made,’’ Gaiya said.
Gaiya advised the FA to always be proactive in matches of such magnitude, adding that the players should be motivated to give their best in the match.
“Planning is a very important thing in this game. We have been paying 10,000 dollars all this while and the dwindling fortune cannot come over night.
“When we talk about planning, it means you have a system that has warranted that certain things be done over time.
“We have been playing this qualifier since the beginning of this year, and therefore the last match that will give us the ticket for the 2nd round should not be toyed with.
“I believe that motivation is directly proportional to performance. 10,000 dollars should not be an issue to jeopardise our chances of qualifying.
“A motivated player will be willing to go there and kill himself because he knows there is something to pocket home at the end of 90 minutes,’’ Gaiya added.
