March 31, (THEWILL) – In a bid to address the lingering misunderstandings between the All Nigeria Football Players Union (ANFPU) and the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Reconciliation Committee, has called for the unions to unite for the benefit of active and retired players.
The five-man reconciliation committee, which was inaugurated by the Executive Committee of the NFF for the purpose of looking into the issues between the ANFPU and PFAN includes retired footballers Emmanuel Okala, Felix Owolabi-Akinloye, Garba Lawal, and Abdul-Rafiu Yusuf, who serves as secretary.
The Chairman of the committee, Philip Shaibu, urged members of both unions to settle all issues hampering their smooth running and progress during a meeting in Benin on Thursday.
He called on the unions to be united and act in good faith to address the challenges facing both retired and active football players.
Shaibu stressed the importance of a strong management system for the future of young and upcoming players, adding that the unions need to fill the gap. He also emphasised the need for the unions to protect players from signing fake or slave contracts and to prevent the physical molestation of players and ex-players.
Retired midfielder Edema Fuludu, speaking on behalf of PFAN, stressed that the unions are responsible for protecting and safeguarding players, whether in terms of contract management or physical exploitation. The president of ANFPU, retired Denmark-based forward Abdul Sule, described the reconciliation meeting as historical, stating that players and ex-players have faced different challenges over time.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
