The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has explained why Super Eagles players did not attend the bronze medal presentation at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Nigeria secured third place at the tournament after defeating Egypt 4–2 on penalties on Saturday. However, the team was absent from the medal ceremony, which was held after Sunday’s final between Morocco and Senegal.
Speaking on the matter, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said the players were unable to remain in camp due to pressure from their respective clubs, which insisted on their immediate return following the third-place playoff.
Gusau, who was quoted in a post shared on X on Monday by journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, noted that the situation was beyond the federation’s control and was not peculiar to Nigeria alone.
“The players could not wait to receive their medals on Sunday. Their clubs were already after them to return after Saturday’s game,” he said.
“I have the medals with me. This also affected Egypt, not just Nigeria. If the medal ceremony had been held on the day of the match, the players would have collected their medals.”
Nigeria’s victory over Egypt marked the country’s ninth third-place finish at AFCON, the most by any nation in the competition’s history.
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