Defeat Malawi, Get £10,000 Each —NFF

In a bid to motivate Nigeria’s Super Eagles for victory in their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Malawi on Saturday, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has promised to give each of the players the sum of $10,000.

Chief Mike Okeke Umeh, First Vice President of NFF said the Eagles have been receiving $5,000 each as winning bonus in the past, but declared that the football authority is set to double the amount if the team can beat their opponents this weekend.

He said: “We have decided to motivate the Super Eagles ahead of their match against Malawi by increasing their match bonus from $5,000 to $10,000.

“This will serve as a challenge to the players to beat the Malawians, even on their home soil, because we cannot afford to lose or draw the match in Blantyre.”

While reacting to the huge amount of money being paid to the players, Umeh said: “It does not matter how much we give them, what really matters is for them to win the match and place us in good stead in the qualifying series.”

Meanwhile, Super Eagles defender, Efe Ambrose has assured Nigerians of an ouright victory when they play Malawi on Saturday.

The former Kaduna United skipper, who now plays for MS Ashdod said: “I am aware of the fact that there are no more minors in African football, but I’m confident we will beat the Malawians, as we’ll approach the match like a cup final.”

The NFF revealed that the Eagles will leave the country on Thursday night and arrive in Blantyre in the early hours of Friday, to ensure the team train on an artificial turf of Kamuzu Stadium, venue of Saturday’s encounter.

The match kicks off at 2.30pm Malawian time , 1.30pm Nigeria time, and will be handled by referees from Mauritius.

The Nigerian team currently top their World Cup qualifying group with three points, followed by Malawi and Kenya, who played a draw in Nairobi last weekend. Namibia are last in the group after their 1-0 loss to Nigeria.

—Bamidele Olowosagba