Nigeria has withdrawn from the continuation of the qualifiers for the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN), a competition reserved for local players, citing financial constraints. The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) acknowledged facing financial problems and being unable to fulfill its commitments for the competition.
Emeka Inyama, a member of the Executive Committee of the NFF, stated, “The local Super Eagles will not play the CHAN as we withdrew from the qualifiers due to a lack of financial means.” He further explained, “We have a lot of financial commitments, and we have to look at the competitions in order of importance.”
As a result of Nigeria’s withdrawal, Ivory Coast is set to qualify for the next round of the CHAN qualifiers. The financial challenges faced by the Nigerian federation are severe, prompting discussions about reducing the number of people on national team staff and decreasing the victory bonus for the Super Eagles, which currently stands at $10,000.
