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Udeze Recalls Near Altercation With NFF Member Over Match Bonus Dispute
Ifeanyi Udeze recounts a tense confrontation with an NFF member after players were offered only half of their promised $5,000 match bonus.
Former Super Eagles defender Ifeanyi Udeze has recounted how he almost got into a physical confrontation with a Nigeria Football Federation official over the payment of players’ bonuses.
Speaking during an episode of The 5th House podcast posted on X, Udeze said the incident occurred in 2003/2004 after the team secured a victory and was expecting full payment of a promised $5,000 match bonus.
According to him, an NFF official visited senior players, including Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu, to inform them that only $2,500 would be paid immediately, with the remaining balance to be settled later.
“Seriously, no joke, In 2003/2004, I almost slapped an NFF member,” Udeze said.
Narrating the encounter, he added:
“After we won a game; they were supposed to pay us $5,000 each.
“He went to JayJay’s room, went to Kanu’s room, saying he wants to pay $2,500 first, then later when we come back again to the national team, he will pay the balance.
“JayJay and Kanu told him first go to Udeze’s room. He came and just gave me pen to sign; it looked as though my late father just woke me, and say ‘look at the money’, I asked him ‘what happened? complete the money,’ he said there’s no money, next time we’ll complete the money; I said go and meet the captain, talk to them, nobody has signed here, I am not supposed to be the first person to sign here.”
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