Nigeria’s Super Eagles arrived in Marrakech on Thursday afternoon, officially transitioning to their new base ahead of a high-stakes Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 quarter-final against Algeria.
The team’s arrival marks the end of a brief but tense period of uncertainty that threatened to disrupt their campaign following a dispute over unpaid performance bonuses. The squad, led by head coach Éric Chelle, touched down at the Marrakech Airport at approximately 4:20 pm local time.
The relocation from Fès, where the team had played their previous four matches, was delayed by several hours after players reportedly deliberated on a training and travel boycott. Sources indicated the squad were seeking the disbursement of win bonuses from their three group-stage victories and their Round of 16 triumph.
The Nigerian government moved quickly to de-escalate the situation, providing public assurances that the financial bottleneck had been cleared. Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of State for Finance, confirmed that the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had successfully "streamlined the foreign exchange processing" to ensure the players were rewarded.
"The final transfers to domiciliary accounts are currently underway, and the funds are expected to reflect in the players’ accounts starting today or tomorrow," the Minister stated in an official release on Thursday. She emphasised that the delay was administrative, citing the need to convert funds into the foreign currency preferred by the players.
National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Shehu Dikko echoed these sentiments, dismissing rumours of a deep-seated crisis as "speculation". Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Dikko clarified that the budget for the tournament had been approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as early as November 2025 but noted that "approving the money is different from getting the money out" due to standard bureaucratic timelines.
"The team trained yesterday, definitely. The team will be travelling today, definitely," Dikko assured the public on Thursday morning, just hours before the flight took off. He added that daily allowances had already been paid in cash as previously agreed.
The resolution of the internal rift allows the three-time African champions to focus entirely on Saturday’s heavyweight encounter. The match, scheduled for 5:00 pm Nigerian time at the Stade de Marrakech, features a compelling tactical contrast.
Nigeria currently boasts the tournament’s most productive attack with 12 goals, while Algeria possesses the most disciplined defence, having conceded only once in four matches.
The winner of Saturday’s clash will progress to the semi-finals to face either the tournament hosts, Morocco, or Cameroon.
