Did the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) actually spend more than $200,000 (about N300 million) on the petition against DR Congo in the bid to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

One stakeholder in Nigerian football, Samm Audu, yesterday alleged that the federation spent that sum in its failed bid to make the 2026 World Cup through the courts.

But the NFF swiftly denied spending that much, saying that it worked on the appeal in conjunction with the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Writing for a football website, SCORENigeria, Audu said that he got from a reliable source that the country spent over $200,000 in the petition filed before FIFA in the first instance and the appeal to CAS later.

The Super Eagles will not play at the World Cup this summer despite assurances the country had “an air-tight case” that would throw out DR Congo from the tournament for fielding several ineligible players in the final qualifying playoffs last year.

He said that the amount covered consultancy fees, engaging international sports lawyers and gathering information from inside sources in DR Congo.

“In the end, FIFA’s disciplinary committee did not even treat this petition as it fell outside stipulated deadlines and did not follow other laid-down procedures,” the report stated.

“This was gross incompetence, and it was also very costly,” lamented one source.

Reacting to the story, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau simply told The Guardian: “It is not true; we only engaged a law firm in conjunction with the NSC, which they gave their bill.”

Another official of the NFF, who