Oliseh’s Explosive Allegation Reignites Outrage as Nigerians Demand Transparency from NFF

|By Adejumo Adekunle

Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has reignited a major controversy around the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), alleging that the federation diverted $1 million from FIFA meant to be shared with players after Nigeria qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking on the Home Turf podcast, Oliseh claimed there was a standing agreement to split the FIFA bonus equally, with half going directly to the players. Instead, he accused the NFF of disbanding the team to avoid payment.

“We qualified for the finals, and they disbanded the team. They made sure we did not get our share,” Oliseh said, adding that 80 percent of the squad that eventually went to the tournament did not play the qualifiers — and therefore received nothing.

His revelation has fueled fresh anger this week, as Nigerian football fans launched a viral accountability campaign on X, demanding answers on how millions in FIFA and CAF grants have been spent — while local infrastructure continues to crumble.

The backlash intensified after FIFA updated its social media headers to highlight the $1.19 million Birnin Kebbi Mini Stadium project — a facility Nigerians have widely condemned as substandard despite the heavy funding.

Fans argue that at a time when no Nigerian referee was selected for AFCON 2025 and national stadiums are visibly decaying, the NFF must publish a full breakdown of all FIFA and CAF grants received over the years.

Although the NFF insists that all funds are project-based and audited annually, it has repeatedly failed to release detailed public reports — escalating calls for reform and financial transparency ahead of AFCON 2025.