…As 68 yrs old ex-Warri Wolves, Green-Eagle player lament condition
SAN FRANCISCO, November 28, (THEWILL) – The Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria (APFON) has accused the Alhaji Aminu Magari-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of insensitivity to the plight of footballers and coaches in the country who they said are heavily owed salaries, match bonuses and other entitlement running into several millions of naira.
The group said NFF was responsible for the huge debt profile of clubs to their players and coaches nationwide as computed in 2010.
The debt, according to an APFON official, stands at N250million for decided cases of players and coaches being owe while undecided cases of debt profile was put at about N750million..
Some players and coaches including Monday Inebia, ex-shark FC and coach Alabi Kafaru, ex-Elkanemi died without collecting their monies why Gaba Yaya may also have his leg amputated following the development.
APFON however blamed NFF leadership for the failures of the football clubs to implement the relevant provision of the NFF Statutes and FIFA Regulation.
Addressing a press conference in Warri, Delta State, APFON Executive Secretary, Comrade Austin Popo said the failure to enforce the 2010 decisions of the Players Status Welfare and Arbitration Committee of the NFF was the cause of the backlog .
APFON’s Austin Popo said the problem had degenerated following the failure of the Maigari-led NFF to invoke sanction on clubs that had failed to comply with the 2010 NFF’s Players Status and Arbitration Committee in line with relevant provision of FIFA disciplinary code of 2011.
“It is unbelievable and a shame that since inception of the Magari-led NFF, there is no Players Status Committee in the federation till date, even the president of Nigeria Football Federation is a member FIFA Players Status Committee and in spite of various correspondence on the need to set up the Players Status and Arbitration Committee, he had deliberately refused to comply in line with stipulated penalties as contained in FIFA Disciplinary code of 2011,” Popo said .
Popo noted that the absence of National Dispute Resolution Chamber, NDRC (which provides for equal representation for players and coaches as well as employment related disputes), was a major cause of the problems.
The group therefore demanded payment of all outstanding entitlement (salaries, match bonus, complete or part contract fees) still owed players and coaches for the concluded 2012/2013 league season.
APFON also demanded Congress to compel the LMC and NNL not to commence the 2013/2014 season until these issues are resolved.
They also demanded for ten percent deductions from sponsorship and endorsement monies due the Federation and League bodies to the players union from the Players Collective Image Rights in line with global best practices.
Consequently, the group decried the abandonment of Sylvester Egborge, a onetime left foot back player of the Green Eagles in the 70s as well as Warri Wolves who have been using clutches for so many years now without any aid.
Egborge who spoke to newsmen at the NUJ Press Centre, Warri however lamented his fate saying he was neglected and abandoned after using his youthful energy to bring honour to his own state, Delta state and the country at large.
“I suffered this injuries in the year 2000 and one of my colleagues in the Green-Eagles went and told Chief Solomon Ogba that one of our senior colleagues is in the hospital but to my greatest surprise Ogba said he doesn’t know me…that I didn’t play for Warri but the year I played for Warri in 1966, I had a fraction and officials of Warri Wolves then thought they are dead now took me to the hospital and I was told they would amputate my legs….
“Since then, nobody has asked me how I managed to overcome and how I am faring…I played for Kano 11, Amukpe FC, AT&P FC, Warri Wolves as well as Green-Eagle which was the national team between 1971-74…I participated in the 2nd-All Africa Games, we went to Liberia and beat them at home and many other matches for the national side….
“I am from Igbudu, Warri, Delta State…I’m not going to cry to anybody to come to my aid but if anyone comes, I will wholeheartedly accept the offer of help…Nobody has offered me help. When I was in the hospital then, DailyTimes Newspaper came to interview me and they publish my interview but nobody came to my aid so I decided there was no need crying out for help. I have to take it as my fate, ” he said.
