FIFA Meeting: Jalla demands equal representation as Players Union secures six slots
The Players Union bloc will attend the September 14 FIFA meeting in Abuja with a six member delegation, matching the number of representatives allocated to the State Football Association chairmen, Chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative, Prince Harrison Jalla, has disclosed.
Jalla said the decision followed concerns over the initial allocation of only three slots to the Players Union bloc in the invitation issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on September 9. According to him, the disparity could create another structural imbalance in the administration of Nigerian football.
“The Players Union bloc would attend the FIFA meeting with six members, the same number allocated to the State Football Association chairmen,” Jalla said, stressing that representation must reflect the equal status of the federating units.
He criticised the initial arrangement, warning that the country could not begin a new era of football administration on what he described as an unequal foundation. “We can’t rebuild our football on a faulty foundation.
The F.A. chairmen cannot outnumber the Players Union bloc in the new dispensation, whether in meetings, reconstitution of the Congress, standing committees, etc.,” he stated.
Jalla also faulted the NFF's role in determining who should represent the various federating units, arguing that the members themselves should select their delegates. “It is not the duty of the NFF to pick and choose those to represent the federating units. That is the responsibility of the members themselves, who know those that can best represent their interests,” he said.
He further urged the NFF to ensure fairness and transparency throughout the transition process, citing FIFA’s September 7 correspondence requesting a meeting with the statutory members of the federation. “It’s unfair to manipulate and skew attendance in favour of one group to outnumber the other.
Representations must be equal,” Jalla declared, while urging the football body to “jettison old tricks” and embrace a fair and transparent rebuilding process.
Jalla maintained that the NFF 2010 Statutes, as amended, recognise the five federating units as equal, insisting that the principle should guide the transition and future restructuring of Nigerian football administration.
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