Babalola Oluwatomiwa
Social Member
Most people, apart from the Chris Giwa led group have commended the League Management Company, for expelling the Jos based side from the Nigeria Professional Football League side last weekend.
Impressive what the LMC has done, at least it will ensure that sanity is maintained in the Nigerian topflight despite the nobody-can-touch me attitude some club owners put up in and outside the pitch in recent time.
But, what they don’t know is the fact that the NPFL is the most important thing that has happened to Nigerian football of late, and a lot of us who cherish the resurgence of the league through the LMC will not allow some uncultured people bring it to disrepute.
We know that the decision to expel Giwa FC from the league must have been a daunting task for Alhaji Shehu Dikko’s led LMC. The LMC chairman, who also doubles as the 2nd Vice President of the nigeria football federation, ‘did not look Uche face ‘like my friends from the east often joke.
Obviously, this is not a matter that we can joke about, and that’s why we are addressing this issue at this point through this channel, for unruly club owner to be aware that they may be rich and influential, the fans of the game will never allow them drag the name of the Nigerian league into the mud.
We are strongly advising Chris Giwa to take his battle of the NFF presidency to Amaju Pinnick, and not destroy the career of players, who signed for his club due to his lack of vision.
We also appeal to him to release these players in time, as they can no longer play for the club due to the expulsion, baring in mind that these other clubs respect the rule governing the game.
This whole thing started on match day 12 of the nigeria professional football league, when Giwa fc fans disrupted an ongoing game against Enugu Rangers in Jos, and it was later stopped around 78th minute.
The LMC then moved the remainder of the game to the Abuja national stadium complex to be completed, but, Giwa failed to show up, and he never tendered any excuse for his action.
Following that, the LMC ruled that since Giwa was found guilty of the abandoned game, they must play three games in Ilorin, which they had ample time to appeal but they never did.
The Jos based club then deliberately ignored the ‘two home games’ in Ilorin in succession, while they went to play against Abia Warriors in Umuahia, hoping that they had resolved never to miss another.
But, their greatest undoing was the fact that they never planned to honour their match day-eighteen game against Enyimba on 18th May, and, instead of Giwa to have sent a notice to that effect 72 hours before the game, they waited until a day before the game, and the said letter didn’t arrive until about 15 minutes before the game, demanding that the match be rescheduled, and also a change of venue.
So, without any fear or favor, we believe that Giwa fc merit the punishment it is serving at the moment, and we hope that it will serve as a pointer to other club owners, who might be thinking of going the same route.
Finally, since rules are rules, and the LMC followed the rules to the point of expelling Giwa FC from the NPFL, the body should also ensure that they enforce the law on any club erring on their financial obligations to their players.
We know a handful of the clubs in the NPFL are owing their players- and yes, we agree that these players are naive and they won’t speak out, but the LMC can go beyond waiting for the players speak out, and help them get what duly belongs to them from the scavengers, who call themselves club owners.
Looking at the LMC’s rule over salary issues, we discovered that there’s a loophole that an average club owner can hide under even if they fail to remunerate their players as at when due; and this can be found under players’ Remuneration of the LMC’s rules 9.45.2, which states that: “Any club found to have delayed a due payment for more than 30 days without a prima facie contractual basis MAY be sanctioned in accordance with paragraph 4 below.
The article “May” in the statements has weakened the LMC from taking appropriate action over erring clubs because the welfare of these players, who are running kilometers on the pitch is our concern.
So, we advise the LMC to do their home work well, obtain valuable information from players, who are victims of clubs owing them salaries and act accordingly- because we believe these players won’t talk for the fear of intimidation and prejudice.
We also believe that if the clubs in the NPFL pay their players via the LMC, or through their bank accounts, it will not be easy for the clubs to lie about salary payments and all other benefits.
So, we taSk the LMC to ensure that salaries of players are routed through them, or better still, force the clubs to pay their players through their bank accounts to track their records of payments.
We finally hope that this piece will spark up a positive drive towards the improvements of the welfare of players plying their trade in the domestic league.
Just the way Giwa has failed to respect the laws binding the NPFL, the LMC has also failed to enforce its laws guiding the welfare of the players- this has led teams owing players several months of their wages.
So, we suggest that LMC respect its own rules to the letters, so that club owners like Giwa, who are still in the league can respect the rules.
Thanks for reading and please don’t forget to drop your opinion after reading this peace.
@TomiwaBabalola
+oluwatomiwababalola
[email protected]
Impressive what the LMC has done, at least it will ensure that sanity is maintained in the Nigerian topflight despite the nobody-can-touch me attitude some club owners put up in and outside the pitch in recent time.
But, what they don’t know is the fact that the NPFL is the most important thing that has happened to Nigerian football of late, and a lot of us who cherish the resurgence of the league through the LMC will not allow some uncultured people bring it to disrepute.
We know that the decision to expel Giwa FC from the league must have been a daunting task for Alhaji Shehu Dikko’s led LMC. The LMC chairman, who also doubles as the 2nd Vice President of the nigeria football federation, ‘did not look Uche face ‘like my friends from the east often joke.
Obviously, this is not a matter that we can joke about, and that’s why we are addressing this issue at this point through this channel, for unruly club owner to be aware that they may be rich and influential, the fans of the game will never allow them drag the name of the Nigerian league into the mud.
We are strongly advising Chris Giwa to take his battle of the NFF presidency to Amaju Pinnick, and not destroy the career of players, who signed for his club due to his lack of vision.
We also appeal to him to release these players in time, as they can no longer play for the club due to the expulsion, baring in mind that these other clubs respect the rule governing the game.
This whole thing started on match day 12 of the nigeria professional football league, when Giwa fc fans disrupted an ongoing game against Enugu Rangers in Jos, and it was later stopped around 78th minute.
The LMC then moved the remainder of the game to the Abuja national stadium complex to be completed, but, Giwa failed to show up, and he never tendered any excuse for his action.
Following that, the LMC ruled that since Giwa was found guilty of the abandoned game, they must play three games in Ilorin, which they had ample time to appeal but they never did.
The Jos based club then deliberately ignored the ‘two home games’ in Ilorin in succession, while they went to play against Abia Warriors in Umuahia, hoping that they had resolved never to miss another.
But, their greatest undoing was the fact that they never planned to honour their match day-eighteen game against Enyimba on 18th May, and, instead of Giwa to have sent a notice to that effect 72 hours before the game, they waited until a day before the game, and the said letter didn’t arrive until about 15 minutes before the game, demanding that the match be rescheduled, and also a change of venue.
So, without any fear or favor, we believe that Giwa fc merit the punishment it is serving at the moment, and we hope that it will serve as a pointer to other club owners, who might be thinking of going the same route.
Finally, since rules are rules, and the LMC followed the rules to the point of expelling Giwa FC from the NPFL, the body should also ensure that they enforce the law on any club erring on their financial obligations to their players.
We know a handful of the clubs in the NPFL are owing their players- and yes, we agree that these players are naive and they won’t speak out, but the LMC can go beyond waiting for the players speak out, and help them get what duly belongs to them from the scavengers, who call themselves club owners.
Looking at the LMC’s rule over salary issues, we discovered that there’s a loophole that an average club owner can hide under even if they fail to remunerate their players as at when due; and this can be found under players’ Remuneration of the LMC’s rules 9.45.2, which states that: “Any club found to have delayed a due payment for more than 30 days without a prima facie contractual basis MAY be sanctioned in accordance with paragraph 4 below.
The article “May” in the statements has weakened the LMC from taking appropriate action over erring clubs because the welfare of these players, who are running kilometers on the pitch is our concern.
So, we advise the LMC to do their home work well, obtain valuable information from players, who are victims of clubs owing them salaries and act accordingly- because we believe these players won’t talk for the fear of intimidation and prejudice.
We also believe that if the clubs in the NPFL pay their players via the LMC, or through their bank accounts, it will not be easy for the clubs to lie about salary payments and all other benefits.
So, we taSk the LMC to ensure that salaries of players are routed through them, or better still, force the clubs to pay their players through their bank accounts to track their records of payments.
We finally hope that this piece will spark up a positive drive towards the improvements of the welfare of players plying their trade in the domestic league.
Just the way Giwa has failed to respect the laws binding the NPFL, the LMC has also failed to enforce its laws guiding the welfare of the players- this has led teams owing players several months of their wages.
So, we suggest that LMC respect its own rules to the letters, so that club owners like Giwa, who are still in the league can respect the rules.
Thanks for reading and please don’t forget to drop your opinion after reading this peace.
@TomiwaBabalola
+oluwatomiwababalola
[email protected]
