Super Eagles major sponsors will be approached by football bureaucrats to help the team in cushioning its 2014 World Cup budget deficit in Brazil, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced.

The amount appropriated for the World Cup is N1.2 billion (equivalent of $7 million) out of N2.8 billion (about $12 million) which the NFF asked from government to enable the Eagles participate at the global football spectacle. The approved grant will still leave a shortfall of N829 million (about $4.5 million).

NFF Secretary General, Musa Amadu, insisted at a media parley on Tuesday that the approved vote would barely be sufficient for the Eagles' first two weeks stay in Brazil.
The World Cup, the most attractive sporting event in the world with 32 nations in attendance, will be staged from June 12  to July 13 in 12 centres across Brazil.

While government is expected to come to the aid of the team given the unifying role of football in the country, Amadu said one option the federation was considering in order to plug the budget gap is to approach its sponsors.Some of the federation's strategic marketing partners include, Globacom, Samsung, Adidas and Guinness.

''The budget itself is the totality of what is needed to take the team to the last stage of the World Cup. We still have a shortfall that is yet to be specifically looked into but must be provided if we aim to go as far as we want at the competition. We should now explore those areas we spoke about- getting our sponsors to chip in some money- so that we will be able to concentrate on the project of doing well in Brazil,'' Amadu said.

Nigeria's World Cup finances will cover several items ranging from daily allowances to players and officials, match bonuses and flight tickets for the team and national contingent among other sundry expenses.

By comparison, while Nigeria's approved grant of $7 million is a far cry from Black Stars of Ghana's $9.6 million budget, it is a shade ahead of the $5.4 million Ivory Coast plans to spend and $5.8 million which Algeria proposed for their team at the tournament.