Former England captain Bryan Robson's bid to become coach of the Nigerian national team looks to have hit financial problems.
The former Middlesbrough manager was expected to take over as boss of the Super Eagles, but his reported wage demands of £30,000 sterling a month have caused the deal to stall.
Nigerian Sports Minister Musa Mohammed told the BBC Sport online he would not agree to Robson's appointment unless the cost of his wages was met by outside sponsorship.
"They [the NFA] could not convince me that they can pay the US$50,000 a month they promised Mr Robson," said Mohammed. "They told me a private telecommunications company . . . has offered to pay but when I asked for any document to back that up, they could not produce any."
Mohammed revealed his decision was influenced by the fact that Nigeria struggled to pay the salary of their last foreign manager, Dutchman Jo Bonfrere, who was sacked in 2001 after a string of poor results in qualifying matches for the 2002 World Cup.
Robson had been expected to arrive in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, on Monday to sign a six-month contract but has since had to delay his flight from England.