By Daily Sports on March 29, 2018

Nigeria Players Union, National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers (NANPF) has condemned the high incidence of unfair labour practices in the Nigerian football sector which it believes is disturbing.

A statement issued on Wednesday by NANPF signed by Comrade Danladi Musa, said the Union “notes with grave concern the unfolding but secret cases of Nigerian locally based footballers tied to unfair labour practices by many Nigerian local football clubs, both at the Amateur and Professional League levels.” It said that these unfair labour practices includes refusal to pay salaries, match bonuses as agreed; lack of good medical services, denying players copies of their contract and denial of redress mechanism.

“The Union is disturbed following the online reports by the Punch newspaper of 31st December 2017, and Sun newspaper of January 13, 2018 and an international Non-governmental organisation, Ashes Unite Foundation Video testimony, that  while the Super Eagles and Falcons make us proud outside the shores, our local league which is our national pride, a supposedly platform of peaceful co-existence, an emerging alternative source of revenue for the country is at risk of losing its credibility in the light of these challenges.

“As a body vested with the responsibility of protecting and promoting the interest and rights of Players in Nigeria, the Union is worried that these players cannot complain openly due to fear of some sports administrators who threaten them with “career funeral” if they do and the lack of standard,” the statement said.

It noted: “Faced with these numerous pitfalls, the Union is further worried that the Nigerian Football Federation, the apex football body in Nigeria is not doing enough to address these issues and there is still a need to do more in enforcing arbitration decision on players’ salaries and welfare, considering the huge sums of money owed these players and coaches which spans many years and with many of these players dying in silence, and their families labouring in great penury.

 “For instance the cases of Nassarawa United, Akwa United, Wilki Tourist, Sunshine Stars and Taraba United, just to mention a few are good examples as documentary evidence shows that more than two hundred footballers across board are owed which runs into hundreds of millions of Naira and these sums remain unpaid not minding the decision of the NFF Players Status and Arbitration Committee.”

Also “Bothered that these players cannot easily seek justice in regular Nigerian courts as the FIFA statute and NFF Rules mandates them to employ the internal arbitration mechanism, coupled with the negative effect of such unfair labour practices on the development of football, Social peace, human rights and our Gross Domestic Product; in spite of the intensity and ripple effect of this issue as exemplified a year ago, when one Izu Joseph of 3SC football club of Ibadan, died untimely and till date the family in a Guardian publication of 8th December 2017, confirmed that the club owes him months of salaries even in death.

"In view of this ugly development that continues to unleash untold hardship on the lives of Nigeria Players, the Union has therefore resolved to explore constitutional means outside of failed Football internal mechanism to  ascertain the cause of heavy indebtedness of clubs and other unfair labour practices meted out on players with a view to effectively resolve the issue, and also investigate the cases of failure to enforce NFF players arbitration decisions, which has made it impossible for many players to get paid as ordered by the Nigerian Football Federation,” the statement said.

Source Daily Sports

Posted March 29, 2018

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