The Chairperson of the Nigerian Women’s Football League (NWFL), Aisha Falode, has clarified that FIFA will still channel the prize money for the 2023 Women’s World Cup through the country’s football federation.
The announcement comes following reports that FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura, stated that the world’s football governing body would directly send unpaid allowances to the Nigerian women’s football team players after the Super Falcons qualified for the second round of the tournament.
FIFA had earlier revealed that each player participating in the World Cup group stage would receive $30,000, with match bonuses increasing to $60,000 in the second round of the competition.
As the Nigerian team successfully reached the round of 16 in Australia and New Zealand, each player is expected to earn at least $60,000 in prize money.
During a chat with Lagos Talks FM on Wednesday, Aisha Falode clarified that the World Cup prize money would be “ring-fenced” to ensure it reaches the players without any interference from third parties.
She emphasized that the prize money earned by the Super Falcons during the ongoing World Cup would still be routed through the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) as FIFA has instructed.
“FIFA did not say it would pay the players directly. It says working through the member association – working through your federations, we will pay you this money through the federations,” Falode stated, emphasizing that the process is well-defined and documented.
The NWFL chair assured that FIFA will pay the federations the prize money, and the federation will then disburse it to the players as instructed by FIFA.
“FIFA will pay the federations the money, and the federation pays the players with the instruction. Everybody knows it is there in black and white,” she said.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons are set to face England in a second-round contest on Monday, and their advancement in the tournament has already secured them the guaranteed prize money.
