In 2002, FIFA gave Nigeria $1m for World Cup qualification, NFF pocketed the money – Oliseh

Former Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has accused the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of diverting a $1 million reward from FIFA meant for the players after Nigeria qualified for the 2002 World Cup.

Speaking on the Home Turf podcast, Oliseh revealed there was an agreement for the money to be shared equally, with half going to the players.

However, he alleged that the NFF disbanded the team shortly after qualification and kept the entire sum instead of honoring the agreement.

Oliseh said: “We were going to the (2002) World Cup and we had an agreement. $1 million was going to come from FIFA’s money and we agreed to split it 50-50. You take $500k and we take $500k.

“$500k was going to be shared among the 30 players who took part in the qualifiers. That amount to around $18,000 each.

“But the only way the players would have been paid, is if Oliseh was there to ensure his colleagues got their share.

“To get that money, NFF eliminated Oliseh and his assistant captain, Finidi George.

“We qualified to the finals and they disbanded the team. They made sure we did not get our share.

“The team that went to that World Cup, 80% of that team didn’t play in the qualifiers. That means they didn’t get the share of that money.”