Hours before the kickoff of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON 2026) hosted by Morocco for the third consecutive time, a wide media controversy erupted following accusations from Nigerian national team players against Marriott Hotel staff in Casablanca for stealing money from their rooms.
Through “Snapchat,” player Esther Okoronkwo claimed that cash amounts disappeared from the wallets of several players while they were away from their rooms. She alleged that she lost about $700, while reports mentioned other amounts missing from the wallets of players Rashidat Ajibade ($200), Osinachi Ohale ($100), Joy Omilayo (£120 or its equivalent), and Halimatu Ayinde ($100), bringing the approximate total to over $1,200.
The players claimed that the theft occurred while cleaning staff were cleaning the rooms, and that the hotel management did not provide convincing answers when confronted, with some describing the staff’s responses as “disrespectful.”
These accusations spread very quickly on social media and Nigerian and English media without any official independent investigation so far.
From the Moroccan side, some voices see these allegations as a repetition of a known pattern. Activist Hatem El Marabati pointed out in a post that the Nigerian national team had previously used accommodation issues as a means to pressure their local federation for overdue bonuses, recalling similar incidents in past tournaments held in Cameroon (2016), France (2019), and Morocco (2022).
He confirmed that the players did not resort to official legal channels such as the Moroccan police or CAF representatives, but went directly to social media, with changes in the reported figures.
Moroccan observers believe that Morocco, which is hosting the tournament for the third time due to its advanced infrastructure and commitment to organizing major African sporting events, is being targeted as a scapegoat in internal Nigerian financial disputes. They point out that the kingdom welcomes millions of tourists annually and organizes major international events without any notable incidents, calling on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to intervene to curb what they describe as a smear campaign.
As of the time of preparing this report, Marriott Hotel management or the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has not issued a detailed official statement, while some sources reported that Moroccan authorities have begun a preliminary investigation into the allegations.
