Amokachi Names Amount Abacha Gave Each Super Eagles Player for Pulling Out of AFCON 96
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria withdrew from the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa due to political tensions
- Former player Daniel Amokachi revealed in an interview how much each player received as compensation for agreeing to opt out
- During a meeting, General Sani Abacha explained that the withdrawal was driven by political issues with South Africa, not football-related concerns
Former Nigerian international Daniel Amokachi once revealed the amount each Super Eagles player received for pulling out of the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996.
Having won the tournament in Tunisia two years earlier, the Nigerian national team withdrew from the edition in South Africa due to political tensions.
It was gatheed that each player had hoped to receive $35,000, based on a projected $5,000 bonus per match for the seven games they were expected to play.
Source: Getty Images
According to a report on Vanguard, Amokachi admitted that each player was paid the sum of $20,000 as compensation for withdrawing from the competition.
In an interview on Brila FM, he recounted how the then-president, General Sani Abacha, summoned the squad for a round table discussion.
Abacha clarified that the idea to withdraw stemmed from political tensions between Nigeria and South Africa, emphasising that the issue was unrelated to football matters.
Amokachi said:
"That year we knew we had a great team that can win the championship and we were already looking forward to a wonderful event in South Africa."
Also, former winger Tijani Babangida stated that the Super Eagles missed the 1996 AFCON in South Africa because the Abacha government said they could not guarantee their safety.
After extensive deliberations, the team decided against travelling for the competitions after Abacha's government was criticised for the execution of nine minority rights activists.
The former Ajax star said:
"He (Abacha) summoned us to Aso Rock and explained to us his problem with the rest of the world and also with South Africa.
"He said he could not guarantee our safety and believed they could reach us just to get to him. He, however, told us that we could go at our own risk but we decided to honour the father of the nation.
The Super Eagles were subsequently banned from the 1998 edition in Morocco but made a return at the 2000 edition, which they co-hosted with Ghana, per the Africa Daily Post.
Source: Getty Images
On August 23, 2025, Social commentator Japhet Omojuwa also confirmed the report in a tweet via his X handle:
"Today was the first time I found out that the Super Eagles got $20k each for not being allowed to play South Africa ‘96. Few things hurt me more at the time than Nigeria’s refusal to play that tournament.
"Not only did it cost us 1996 and 1998 in Burkina Faso, entire generations of Nigerian footballers paid the cost for that destructive decision.
"We went on to win Atlanta ‘96 but that wasn’t going to make up for being absent from consecutive AFCONs during the best-ever era of our football.
"Long past their peak, those players still made the final of AFCON in 2000, losing to Issa Hayattou, and were one penalty away from making another final in 2002."
The Nigerian team eventually made amends at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, from July 19 to August 4, 1996.
Despite the undeniable talent within the Nigerian Olympic Football Team, few anticipated they would rival powerhouses like Argentina and Brazil. Yet, the Super Eagles proved Nigeria could stand tall among global football giants as they won gold, Ruhehabtau said.
When Super Eagles legends visited Bola Tinubu
Legit.ng earlier reported that before the 2023 General Elections, Taribo West was spotted leading a prayer session for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.
The former Inter Milan star was in the company of his ex-internationals Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Victor Ikpeba and Peter Rufai, who is now late.
Source: Legit.ng
