Nigeria's preparation for this month's Africa Cup of Nations is off to its usual haphazard start, with the NFF rescheduling and downgrading their pre-tournament friendly against Egypt.
Both countries, who boast 10 titles between them, were scheduled to play in a tune-up game in Cairo on Dec 14. The game has now been moved to December 16.
Following FIFA's decision to allow clubs release players only one week before the tournament, Nigeria shave been forced to not only move their friendly with the Pharaohs, but also downgrade it to a scrimmage to allow for more subs.
A statement by NFF Communications Director Ademola Olajire said: "The decision by FIFA that clubs can hold on to their players until Monday, 15 December 2025 before they are released for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco has necessitated the postponement of the pre-AFCON friendly between Nigeria and Egypt."
Olajire added: "Aside from the postponement, the game will now be a practice match in order to allow the two teams to make use of more than five substitutes in the encounter."
Kickoff at the Cairo Stadium is expected to be at 8pm Egypt local time.
A rescheduled friendly is not Nigeria's only problem, however. As the team prepare to travel to Morocco for the tournament, news emerged that coach Eric Sekou Chelle is owed three months wages, along with bonuses and allowances.
The story was first reported by journalist Oluwashina Okeleji, who added that the coach is not making a fuss about it with his employers yet. The NFF have not denied the story and are yet to respond to a request for comment from ESPN.
Unpaid wages and allowances for months at a time have become a staple of Nigeria's national team coaches, with the last two coaches -- Gernot Roh and Jose Peseiro -- suffering the same fate before their eventual departures.
Former Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum also claimed he was owed for nearly a year during his time with Nigeria, and cited the expectation of delayed wages as part of the reason why he decided to keep his job at Pittsburgh while coaching Nigeria.
The Super Eagles are in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations, alongside 2004 champions Tunisia, 1978 runners-up Uganda, and Tanzania.
Nigeria play their opening game on December 23 against Tanzania's Taifa Stars at the Complexe Sportif de Fes, where they will also tackle Tunisia's Carthage Eagles (Saturday, December 27) and the Cranes of Uganda (Tuesday, December 30).