Nigeria's players threatened to boycott training and their trip to Marrakech for Saturday's Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal as a payment dispute over unpaid bonuses overshadowed preparations for their clash with Algeria.
Sources confirmed to ESPN that the players informed officials on Tuesday night that they would neither train nor board the flight to Marrakech on Thursday until they received win bonuses from four matches at the tournament: group stage victories over Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda, plus their round of 16 triumph against Mozambique.
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However Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau later told ESPN that the issue had been resolved.
"The players were shown the documents that their payments had been processed, and they trained today, so there is no problem there," he told ESPN.
News of the dispute was first reported by the BBC's Oluwashina Okeleji.
An official from Nigeria's National Sports Commission, which oversees the NFF, told ESPN that payments had been processed through the Central Bank of Nigeria and would reach players' bank accounts within seven days.
"The funds were delayed because government is discouraging the transportation of cash, especially foreign currency, as it is currently against the law in Nigeria," the source said. "But the payments have been processed through the Central Bank and will be available to the players in their individual accounts within seven days."
The official added that players were shown payment slips as proof and that the only outstanding payment was for the Mozambique match, which would also be processed within days.
The source confirmed that additional promised bonuses had already been paid: $5,000 per goal scored during the group stage and $10,000 per goal in the knockout rounds, funded by friends of the Sports Ministry for a total of $80,000.
The assurances appear to have worked, with officials expressing confidence there would be no further incidents before Saturday's match.
The protest marks the latest chapter in Nigeria's recurring saga of payment-related boycotts. Most recently, the team staged a similar protest ahead of their World Cup qualifying playoff against DR Congo, a match that ended with Nigeria's elimination on penalty kicks.
The pattern of bonus disputes has plagued Nigerian football for years, with players repeatedly forced to threaten boycotts to secure payments they say are owed to them.
It marks the latest crisis for Nigeria in Morocco, following an on-field incident between star Victor Osimhen and duo Ademola Lookman and Bruno Onyemaechi, which saw the striker leave the field alone and make his way to the team bus without the other players.
Despite the off-field turmoil, Nigeria have been among the tournament's most impressive teams. The Super Eagles won all three group matches and demolished Mozambique 4-0 in the round of 16, establishing themselves as one of the favourites for the title.
They face Algeria on Saturday in Marrakech, with a place in the semifinals at stake.