Nigeria captain and veteran defender, Joseph Yobo, has denied accusation that Super Eagles players held the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to ransom over World Cup appearance fees.
The Super Eagles opened their Group F campaign in Brazil with a disappointing goalless draw against Iran, but speculation about bonus payments continues to rumble on.
Members of the squad are expected to receive 30 per cent of the money given to the NFF for participation in the first round.
“No one held Nigeria to ransom,” the 33-year-old told AfricanFootball.com. “We are ready to play for Nigeria even if we don’t get paid for that [appearance fees].
“Look at the players who are playing in Nigeria, this money is a life changer for them. This will change [things for] their families. They will be happy because they worked hard to get here.
“This [money] won’t change my life, but as the captain of the team I know what the players deserve.
“Most countries have appearance fees and this was what we spoke about.
“It [the meeting with the NFF about appearance fees] was peaceful and quiet, there was no problem, but at the end of the day it came out differently in the media.
“They should have addressed this much earlier than when it was almost game time. Why did they wait till the last minute?” he asked.
Nigeria’s next fixture is against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday.
