Nigeria Players Union to sanction clubs for owing players, coaches News

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Nigeria Players Union to sanction clubs for owing players, coaches

By Daily Sports on August 21, 2016

The National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers of Nigeria, also known as the Nigeria Players Union, has commended the recent decision of the Ad-hoc Committee of Nigeria National League (NNL) to sanction debtor clubs. Such clubs are to forfeit or lose maximum points and risk demotion if they fail to pay monies owed players and coaches as the league season winds up.

“While the Union also wishes to salute the efforts of clubs like Kwara United FC, ABS FC and others that have paid the backlog of salaries and allowances for the current season. The Union wants the clubs to pay monies owed players and coaches for previous seasons to alleviate the suffering of the affected persons as majority are finding it difficult to take care of their family responsibilities, such as school fees, house rents, hospital bills, feeding etc,” the Union said in a statement issued by its General Secretary, Comrade Austin Popo.

“The Union wish to make reference to letters, titled ‘Enforcement of the Decision of the Nigeria Football Federation Players Status/Arbitration Committee’ dated September 18, 2015 signed by the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to the three leagues namely the League Management Company (LMC) the Nigeria National League (NNL) and the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) with clear directives as follows:

1. That the various clubs attached herein are hereby banned from transfer of players (buying and selling) both locally and internationally.

2. That the league bodies (LMC, NNL, NWFL) is hereby mandated not to register the clubs for the 2015/2016 league season until they liquidate their indebtedness to the players and coaches

3. This decision takes immediate effect.

“That the above directives from the NFF were not carried out by the league bodies is no longer news as all the affected clubs were registered to feature in 2015/2016 league season that is almost winding up with the debts issues yet to be settled by the affected clubs. This development was greeted with protest by the Players Union with the support of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) resulting to threats to picket match venues of debtor clubs. Finally a peace meeting of the Players Union, TUC, the leagues and NFF was conveyed to chart the way forward. This eventually led to the setting up of a reconciliation and verification of debts committee made up representatives of the players Union, the clubs, the leagues and the NFF.

“Following the decisions of the committee, it is expected that the clubs should liquidate their debts issues before the season winds up. This is why the Players you views the decision of the NNL Ad-hoc committee for debtor clubs to pay their debts to the players and coaches or face sanctions, as a much welcome development, while in the same vein, expecting the LMC to show similar zeal and commitment in ensuring that the affected clubs in the NPFL pay their debts to the players and coaches before the season winds up

“Finally it is important to mention here that the Union will not be shy or hesitate to pursue the rights of the players and coaches under the provisions of the relevant football rules that guarantee their rights and taking into consideration the content of the NFF letters to the leagues that was never carried out,” the Union said.

Source Daily Sports

Posted August 21, 2016