NFF denies alleged pact with NNPC on Eagles’ coach salary

FIFA increases financial support to Federation

The Nigeria Football Federation yesterday denied a story circulated by a local website that it has secured the sum of $1.5 million from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as sponsorship for salaries of the incoming Super Eagles’ head coach.

This comes on the heels of FIFA’s decision to increase the funding to affiliate federations from $1.6 million to $5 million for a four-year circle.

A statement by the NFF yesterday quotes the federation’s Media and Publicity Committee Chairman, Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, as saying: “The story is the figment of the imagination of the writers. Nobody in the NFF or NNPC discussed the matter of salary of Eagles’ coach and there is no iota of truth in it.

“Of course, we would be happy if the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation can come into Nigerian football, as we are trying to attract more corporate bodies into the game. But there has been no discussion between NFF and the NNPC over payment of the new Super Eagles’ Head Coach or technical crew.”

The NFF is expected to name a new Super Eagles’ Head Coach on Monday from a list of three shortlisted by the body’s technical committee.

The candidates are Nigeria’s Salisu Yusuf, Belgian, Tom Saintfiet and Frenchman, Paul Le Guen.

Meanwhile, FIFA in a statement yesterday revealed that its Development Committee, chaired by Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, met in Zurich to start implementing its overhauled development programme, tagged Forward.