Nigeria are due to arrive in Brazil tomorrow to take part in the Confederations Cup, 24 hours later than scheduled, after a row over bonus payments saw the squad holed up in a Namibia hotel yesterday.

A telephone call between FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke and an unnamed Nigerian official broke the impasse after the 23-man squad refused to travel to the tournament in a strike action designed to force the hand of their federation.

“I’ve spoken with the team manager and they will be in the plane on Saturday and they will arrive for the Confederations Cup. The problem is solved,” Valcke told a news conference in Rio de Janeiro, when asked about the problem.

Nigeria’s squad were supposed to leave Windhoek, one day after drawing 1-1 with hosts Namibia in a World Cup qualifier, for Johannesburg to connect with a flight to Brazil, where they are representing Africa at the eight-team, two-week tournament.

But the players refused to leave the hotel in a row over promised payments for points garnered in two World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and Namibia over the last week.

Bonuses had been cut in half from $10,000 to $5,000 by the Nigerian Football Federation, local soccer sources said, in what was presented as a cost-cutting measure but the players refused to accept new terms and decided to strike.

“They are declining to leave,” Namibia FA general secretary Barry Rukoro told Reuters earlier yesterday.

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