Brown Ideye, a former Super Eagles striker and Africa Cup of Nations champion, has criticised Enyimba of the Nigerian Premier Football League
for what he called subpar welfare and irregular incentive payments during his brief time there.
The 36-year-old veteran, who joined Enyimba in December 2024, revealed his profound dissatisfaction with the way players are treated,
especially with regard to daily allowances and match bonuses, in an interview with the Bet9ja Home Turf podcast.
According to Ideye, players at Enyimba are paid as little as N7,000 or N8,000 per day during away matches, with no fixed rate or structured allowance plan in place.
Also Read:
Victor Osimhen Finally Signs Transfer Deal From Napoli To Galatasaray
Adekunle Gold Denies Undergoing A Bone Marrow Transplant
Femi Falana Faults Kemi Badenoch Over Nigerian Citizenship Claim
“At Enyimba, we were receiving N7,000 a day. Sometimes N8,000. It’s not even stable. One day it’s N7k, another day N8k,” Ideye said.
He explained that the amount is typically sent to the team captain, who then distributes it to players during trips for away games. The payments, he said, do not cover meals or essentials.
“If we had a game on Sunday and travelled on Friday, they’d pay N7,000 for Friday and Saturday, but on match day, Sunday, you’re on your own. No allowance.”
Brown Ideye Continues To Drag Enyimba Over Poor Treatment Of Players
The former Olympiacos and Dynamo Kyiv forward, who also played in England for West Bromwich Albion, said the situation is further compounded by Enyimba’s practice of delaying match bonuses until the end of the season, instead of paying them after each game or monthly.
“The worst part is you don’t get your match bonus weekly or monthly. They accumulate it and give you at the end of the season,” he lamented.
Ideye revealed that even the match bonuses were irregular and subject to arbitrary decisions by club officials.
“It depends on what the captain, chairman or director agree on before the season. There is no fixed structure. If it’s a game they really want to win, they may raise it to N30k or N40k. But on average, it’s N15k, sometimes N10k.”
He also noted that players who are not selected for matches receive even less, around N5,000, as a token bonus.
The striker, who helped Nigeria lift the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and has played in top-flight leagues across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, criticised the systemic issues in Nigerian club football and called for improved standards in player welfare.
“When I got there, that’s what I met on ground. I couldn’t believe it,” he added.
Brown ideye has also reacted to comments that He is rich and shouldn’t be asking Enyimba for money
“Because I get money, I should not ask for the one I worked for? Please pay me and the players last season’s match bonuses. @EnyimbaFC, the season ended in May, till now nothing. Next season will start next month,” Ideye wrote.