Nigeria soccer team threatening to boycott Olympic quarterfinal
Nigeria’s men’s soccer team is threatening to boycott its Olympic quarterfinal match Saturday, according to multiplereports.
Nigeria is scheduled to face Denmark in a quarterfinal match, but the team may skip the event in a protest over unpaid allowances. According to African Football, players are unhappy that the government has not paid them their full allowance for the Rio games, they and have not received any money for matches played in addition to their per diem.
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“The players said that their level of patriotism has already dwindled because of the way they have been treated by the government officials prior to the Olympic Games,” a source told African Football. “Now they said they won’t step out to train until the remaining balance of their training and camp allowances are paid.”
The team has already skipped its most recent practice as a protest. Nigeria’s senior national team also protested its government over payment issues during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
