Wilfred Ndidi pledges to pay bonuses ahead of their contention against Algeria

Nigeria captain Wilfred Ndidi has pledged to pay bonuses out of his own pocket after threats of a boycott loomed over Saturday’s AFCON quarterfinal against Algeria (4 p.m.).

“I don’t want it to disrupt our preparation,” he said.

The government has already promised to resolve the issue.

The Nigerian players will be present to play their Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal against Algeria on Saturday (4 p.m.) in Marrakesh.

However, they had threatened to boycott the match to demand unpaid bonuses after their four victories in as many games in the competition against Tanzania (2-1), Tunisia (3-2), Uganda (3-1), and Mozambique (4-0).

The threat of a strike by Nigerian players

The players were prepared to refuse to train and travel to Marrakech if the dispute was not resolved. It is finally on the verge of being settled, as the federal government has decided to take action and not let the situation fester.

Minister of State for Finance Doris Uzoka-Anite has promised that the bonuses will be paid into the player’s accounts “Thursday or Friday”, according to Punch. She justified the delay in payment by citing a problem with “converting funds into foreign currency.” “The final payments are currently being processed,” she assured.

 "I've been pushing the team to train and play the game vs Algeria. I've been doing this since the second game. I've now made a commitment to the staff & players that I'll personally pay the bonuses if the authority fail to before Saturday." – Nigeria captain W Ndidi pic.twitter.com/zHzmtYuUA5

While waiting for them to take effect, Eric Chelle’s men have obtained a second guarantee… from team captain Wilfred Ndidi.

According to BBC journalist Olúwashínà Okeleji, the Besiktas midfielder has been working hard for several days to keep his teammates focused solely on the pitch and the highly anticipated match against Algeria.

He himself has helped to sweep aside any non-sporting issues by promising to pay the amounts owed out of his own pocket if the authorities fail to keep their promises.