The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has refuted reports circulating on social media that it owed late former Super Eagles captain and coach, Christian Chukwu, the sum of $128,000 before his death on Saturday.
In a statement released by the NFF on Sunday, the Federation’s General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, described the claim as false and lacking any factual basis.
“There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu,” Sanusi said, referring to the late coach by his popular nickname. “During the first term of the Board headed by Mr. Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.”
Sanusi explained that the committee had been mandated to verify and settle any outstanding debts owed to coaches. He confirmed that Chukwu served as a coach under the NFF from 2002 until 2005, when he was relieved of his duties following a 1-1 draw against Angola in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Kano.
“There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF,” he added.
The NFF General Secretary also challenged anyone with verifiable documents proving any outstanding debts to Chukwu—or any coach who has worked with the national teams in the last two decades—to present such documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately,” Sanusi said.