Oshoala: We are not protesting but fighting for our welfare

Nigeria’s women’s team say their are fighting for their rights as they continue a sit-in protest at a hotel in Abuja over outstanding payments. The Super Falcons have yet to receive allowances and bonuses for winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday 3 December. The Super Falcons clinched their eighth African title with a  1-0 win over hosts Cameroon  and are unhappy that the Nigeria Football Federation has failed to pay them US$17,150 per player for their success. It is alleged the NFF had also pledged to pay outstanding allowances for qualifying and their win bonuses [US$6,500] before the start of the competition. On Friday, Nigeria and Arsenal forward Asisat Oshoala told BBC Sport: “This is a fight about the welfare of the team. It’s about the way the team has been handled over the years. “We are champions. We went out to fight for the nation even without being paid – not everything is about money but of course it is an issue. “We went to the tournament to play for our country and we won the trophy – it is our job and we make no excuses but are not made to feel like champions. “We don’t feel like the Super Falcons of Nigeria, we don’t have a feeling of seniority – we are being treated like we are age-group players, like the Under-17s and the Under-20s.”