Parrot Sports Group C.E.O, Anthony Sunday Samuel, in an exclusive interview on a podcast, expresses his deep concerns over the recent outburst of Ex-Super Eagles of Nigeria forward Brown Ideye against Enyimba FC of Aba.
Ex Super Eagles of Nigeria forward Brown Ideye (36) was officially unveiled by Nigeria Premier Football League club Enyimba FC of Aba back in December 2024 after 17 years he left the league to sign abroad.
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The 2013 AFCON gold medalist signed as a free agent to join Nigeria’s only representative at the CAF competition levels then.
Ideye, who has been without a club since leaving Kuwait’s Al Yarmouk in 2022, was honoured with the number 34 jersey at Enyimba.
In January 2025. His remarks towards the league are that the system is getting worse with bad transportation, roads, bad hotels, and players’ reservations. Brown Ideye’s 61-minute goal against Nasarawa Utd secured Enyimba’s first league win in two months. The Super Eagles legend recorded a total of 5 goals in 13 games.
Brown Ideye announced his departure from NPFL giants Enyimba, following the conclusion of the recent league season, appreciating the Club’s chairman, staff, teammate, and fans
Months later, he posted
“As I move on,
Ex-Enyimba Striker Brown Ideye Says Players Earn as Low as ₦7,000 Per Day, No Regular Match Bonuses”
Former Enyimba FC striker, Brown Ideye, has exposed what he described as the harsh and embarrassing financial realities faced by players at the club, raising concerns over the welfare and motivation of professional footballers in Nigeria’s topflight league.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Ideye did not hold back in describing how poorly players were treated during his time at the Aba-based club. According to him, players received as little as ₦7,000 per day—an amount that was inconsistent and barely covered basic expenses.
“At Enyimba, we were receiving ₦7,000 a day. Sometimes it’s ₦8,000, sometimes not even ₦7,000. That’s not for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. That’s for the whole day,” he said.
Ideye explained that the daily allowance was transferred to the team captain, who was responsible for distributing it among the players. The money, he clarified, was not paid every day, but only during match periods. “Let’s say we have a game on Sunday and we travel on Friday. You get paid ₦7,000 on Friday, another ₦7,000 on Saturday, and nothing on Sunday—the match day itself.”
He further disclosed that match bonuses were not paid weekly or monthly but rather accumulated and paid at the end of the season—without a clear structure or fixed amount.
“There’s no fixed match bonus. It all depends on what the captain and club management agree on before the season starts. You could get ₦15,000 for a win, ₦10,000, or even less,” he said. “Sometimes, if the game is very important, it can go up to ₦30,000 or ₦40,000.”
The former Super Eagles forward expressed disappointment that, despite Enyimba’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s most successful clubs, the treatment of players remains far below standard.
His revelations have sparked fresh debate about the welfare of players in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), and whether clubs are doing enough to support the men and women who bring pride to the league and the country.
Ideye’s honest and raw disclosure has triggered reactions from fans and stakeholders alike, many calling for urgent reforms in player compensation and club management standards across the league.
Enyimba FC later responded to Brown Ideye, who went public for demanding his unpaid bonuses in a manner the club found embarrassing.
“We paid you ₦1M salary, lodged you in five-star ₦65k hotels, flew you by air for away games. And you repaid us by scoring just 5 goals.”
“This is more embarrassing for the best team in Nigeria led by an Ex-international who played several years of his career in Europe to have responded.” He added
Mfon Udoh, an Ex-Enyimba striker, has also appreciated Ideye for the courage he has to speak out and encourage teams still with low standards of players’ welfare in the league to improve and meet the currents international standards.
