The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed claims circulating on social media that it owed former Nigeria captain and Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, the sum of $128,000 before his death.
Reacting to the reports following Chukwu’s passing on Saturday, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, described the allegations as baseless and misleading.
“There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu,” Sanusi said.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the documents of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.”
He explained that the committee had been mandated to verify and settle all legitimate debts owed to coaches, and there was no documentation indicating that Christian Chukwu was owed any funds, BusinessDay reports.
“I am aware that ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of his duties following a 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
NFF urges public to provide proof of any debt
Sanusi further urged anyone in possession of genuine and verifiable documents proving the NFF owed Chukwu or any other coach to come forward.
“As a credible organisation that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately,” he stated.
The NFF has reiterated its commitment to transparency and accountability in managing its obligations, especially to individuals who have served the national teams.
Christian Chukwu, affectionately known as “Chairman,” captained Nigeria to its first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980 and later coached the Super Eagles between 2002 and 2005.
