John Noble, the Super Eagles goalkeeper, has talked about the bonuses he is being owed. He says he will resist the temptation of dragging the Nigeria Football Federation to the world’s football governing body, FIFA, over his unpaid $25,000 2021 AFCON bonus, The PUNCH reports. The unpaid bonus of the Enyimba goalkeeper became a subject of interest last year after it was reported that he was the only member of the AFCON 2021 squad yet to be paid.
Noble has opened up over the row, as the NFF is yet to fulfil their promises. “It’s been over a year now and I’m tired of asking, I just pray they will pay it.” a crestfallen Noble told The PUNCH. “It’s possible that I report to FIFA, but this is my country and I don’t want to do anything that will tarnish the image of the country. Even all this while, I never wanted to say anything, I’ve just been begging but it seems the more I beg the longer it takes,” he lamented.
The NFF through its Director of Media and Communications, Ademola Olajire, last year also confirmed Noble would soon be paid, adding that banking procedures that delayed the payment had been resolved. He also dismissed reports that the federation had banned the goalie from the national team after he resorted to the media to drive home his claims. Noble however said the NFF has only kept promising, while he got wind that the federation has paid some other players and officials of the national teams lately.
“Recently, the sister of my roommate who was part of the last U-17 team that was at the World Cup in India told his brother that NFF had paid their money, that was how it hit me again that my payment is still pending. I felt so bad again.
“They gave me all the assurances last year in November, I called again in December and they said it won’t exceed January, I called again in January and it was the same thing. Knowing that I have that kind of money somewhere and that others have been paid is really affecting me,” Noble said. Noble was part of the Super Eagles squad to the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon where Nigeria crashed out in the knockout stage against Tunisia.
