Professional Footballers give NPFL, NNL clubs 21 days ultimatum on salaries
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Communique of APFON Executive Committee Meeting on 2nd August 2014
At the end of the Association of professional footballers of Nigeria Executive Committee meeting held on the 2nd august 2014 in Umuahia Abia State, the following decisions were taken:
1 The Nigeria Players Union on behalf of all Nigeria players express deep appreciation to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR for his unconfined support for Nigeria football and footballers.
2 The players union express its appreciation to Hon Minister of sports Barr Tamuno Danagogo for his timely intervention on the NFF crises resulting to the lifting of the FIFA ban which would have stagnated the career of thousands of Nigerian footballers.
3 The players union is saddened over the insensitive disposition of the Board of the NFF for its failure to enforce its 2010 arbitration decisions and sanction the clubs who fail to comply in accordance with football rules.
4 In a related development, the union express disgust over the non existence of a National Regulation governing the status and transfer of players within the domestic leagues as well as the players status and arbitration committee for the past four years, thus, giving rise to the abuse of the transfer system, leaving multitude of players being trade restraint and short changed.
5 APFON express concern over the none implementation and compliance of the agreement reached in the meeting organised by the NFF on the 27th of February 2014 between the players union, LMC, NNL and TUC for debtors clubs to pay players and coaches they are owing within four months effective from the date of the agreement amongst other issues.
6 APFON is equally worried of the failure of majority of the clubs in NPFL to pay the minimum wage of #150,000 to their player according league regulation.
7 The players union is overwhelm concerned of the crises that continue to rock the foundation of the football federation in every election year with is overwhelmingly profound negative impact on the administration of football and welfare of Nigeria footballers.
In view of the following observations the union exco has:
* Directed the secretariat of APFON to request for an urgent meeting with the Hon Minister of sports,Senate and House committees on sports, NFF, LMC, NNL and the Clubs owners forum of both leagues to resolve all matters surrounding the players welfare, most especially as it relates to payment of monies owed players and coaches by clubs.
* Directed the secretariat to put all Nigeria professional footballers in the NPFL and NNL on notice through their club captains of a possible strike action should the planned meeting with the various institution mentioned above failed to produce the desire result after 21 days effective from the date of this meeting.
* The players union wants the congress of the NFF to set up a committee to review the statutes of the NFF to find temporary or permanent solutions pending when the National Assembly would complete its work on the enabling law of the NFF to insulate the federation against the incessant litigation in court and to also rely on the relevant provisions of the statute to empower all its affiliates to be financially independent to guide them against external influence and control especially as it is with the states football Association presently and also to consider the possibility of an elongated one tenure for the president and board members of the NFF.
