Unpaid entitlements: Falcons still occupy Abuja •Some collect NFF’s N100,000, others reject it

MEMBERS of the Super Falcons have remained adamant that they are not ready to leave the Agura Hotel camp until all their outstanding entitlements are paid by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

This is despite the fact that the Federation has paid each of them N100,000 to return to their respective destinations with a promise that they will be summoned as soon as funds are available to the football body.

A source in the team informed Tribunesport that the players have resolved among themselves not to budge over any issue related to their entitlements, saying unless they are paid what rightly belongs to them, they will not leave Abuja.

The source further informed that the ladies  took the decision following rumours doing the rounds that the Federation has resolved to ‘deal’ with some of them felt to be the arrowheads of the revolt against it.

Unconfirmed report has it that the NFF has threatened that some of the players would not only be banned outright from the national team, the Federation will also impress it upon their club sides to sack them, among other punitive measures to be taken against them.

It was further gathered that the players met and took a decision that going by the rumours if they leave the camp, the Federation might not call them back to come for their entitlements, adding that they had made do with unfulfilled promises in the past.

“Between you and me, I can confidently tell you that we are not going anywhere until they get paid. We have resolved not to leave here despite the N100,000 that was paid to them. Anyway, some of us have not collected the money yet.

“It was agreed among us that having made do with unfulfilled promises from the Federation in the past, it is high time they (NFF) were told that we are not fools. It is either they give us our money or nothing else,” the source told Tribunesport.

It was gathered on Saturday that the Federal Government was making frantic efforts to release money to pay the Falcons’ entitlements as President Muhammadu Buhari was said to have expressed displeasure over the seeming embarrassment the issue has caused the government.

A source told Tribunesport that the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development might release money for the payment, possibly by Tuesday so that the girls would be paid, while a date would be fixed to host them for winning the 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nation (AWCON) in Cameroon.

Efforts made to get the reaction of the NFF spokesman, Ademola Olajire, were unsuccessful as his mobile line was unreachable, while a text message sent to him was not answered at the time of filing this report.