Nigeria's national side has become embroiled in yet another row with the start of the African Nations' Cup just two days away. Finidi George and the rest of the squad are refusing to wear the new Nike produced team kit until endorsement fees are paid by the Nigerian Football Association (NFA).

Relations between the players and the NFA are distinctly frosty, not least because of a fees row which caused their friendly with Egypt to be cancelled at the last minute. The players have even contempated boycotting the tournament after arriving in Mali and receiving a less than warm welcome from officials of their own Football Association.

The kit row centres around players' individual endorsements with kit manufacturers other than Nike. The players are demanding payments and are refusing to wear the new kits. Whether this means they are going to play in skins or any green shirt that they happen to have packed remains to be seen.

The row which caused the cancellation of the Egypt game was over a previously owed $70,000 from World Cup qualification. This was eventually sorted out when supporters' groups paid the owed cash, the NFA having already spent it.

The Nigerian squad is already in Bakamo ahead of their opening game with Algeria on Monday (Eurosport 4pm). Nigerian Sports Minister Minister Ishaya Mark Aku is also there and is frantically trying to resolve the kits issue. The fact that the strips didn't turn up until Tuesday hasn't helped his efforts.

The tournament's first game sees hosts Mali line-up against Liberia on Saturday afternoon (Eurosport 4pm). Mali and Liberia are the other two teams in Nigeria's group.

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