NewswatchNigeria can report that before Wednesday’s crucial Semi-final match against the Sudan Each of the CHAN Eagles received $8,000 only being payment of their match bonuses for the ongoing tournament in Morocco.
Each player is entitle to $2000 win bonus per game and the team’s Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye, who confirmed the players have received the payment explained that the sum only covered up to the quarter-final stage of the championship.
The payment was however effected after the Coach Salisu boy changed their mind to request for the full payment of their bonuses after they had agreed that the payment due to them should be suspended.
As gathered the wanted to show their patriotism by asking that the payment be held till the final stage of the competition to get paid.
But, according to Ibitoye, why the players changed their mind before the final game was best known to them stating “It is their call to make with right to take their due claims at any point of the tournament.’
Nigeria plays Sudan in the semi-final on Wednesday at the Stade de Marrakech.
Meanwhile, both Gernot Rohr and Emmanuel Amuneke have warned the CHAN Eagles not to be complacent against the strong Sudan side when both teams clash for a place in Sunday’s CHAN final.
According to Rohr who hopes Nigeria book the ticket to final with a win reckoned that Sudan will line up their ‘A’ team for the Semi- final game against the home-base Eagles.
“Sudan have had a day more to recover and they will play with their ‘A’ team, but I still expect our team to win in normal time and qualify for the final on Sunday,” Rohr said.
Sudan won Zambia 1-0 in the quarter-final of the championship.
Amuneke has also told his boys that Sudan’s top striker Saifeldin Malik Bakhit Maki, who was match winner against favourites Zambia, will be the man to watch tonight.
He said, “Nigeria should be wary of Sudan’s top striker. He is my player at club level, very fast and his good positioning was the weapon he used to send Zambia packing in the quarterfinal.
“The defence must put eyes on him and need checkmate him every time.”
The match will kick off by 8:30pm – Nigeria time.
