Former Super Eagles striker and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2013 winner, Brown Ideye, has lifted the lid on the harsh realities of player welfare at Enyimba Football Club, revealing that players received as little as ₦7,000 daily as meal allowances during his stint with the team.
The 36-year-old, who joined Enyimba for the 2024/25 season after a lengthy international career that included spells in Europe, China, and most recently with Kuwaiti side Al Yarmouk, made the revelations in a recent post on social media platform X.
Ideye, who returned to Nigerian football after nearly two decades abroad, stated that the financial conditions at the Aba-based club were far from ideal, despite the club being headed by one of Nigeria’s most celebrated football icons, Kanu Nwankwo.
According to the striker, players were paid inconsistent feeding allowances ranging from ₦7,000 to ₦8,000 per matchday, which was usually transferred to the team captain for distribution.
He stressed that this amount was meant to cover all meals for the day, with no provision for separate breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
“Some days it was ₦7,000, other days ₦8,000. It wasn’t consistent. That was all we got,” Ideye revealed, highlighting the financial struggles many professional footballers still face in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), even at top-tier clubs like Enyimba.
His disclosure has sparked fresh conversations about player welfare and the urgent need for reforms within the domestic football system.
Despite Enyimba’s status as one of Nigeria’s most decorated clubs and the involvement of a high-profile figure like Kanu, Ideye’s experience points to persistent structural and financial deficiencies that could hinder the growth and global competitiveness of Nigerian football.
Ideye’s candid account serves as a call to action for stakeholders to prioritize better funding, accountability, and welfare policies to uplift the standard of the local league and retain talent within the country.
