Deduct Six Points From El - Kanemi, Sports Lawyer Urges LMC

A Sports Lawyer, Barister Johnny Precious Ogbah has urged the League Management Company (LMC) to deduct 6 points from El-Kanemi Warriors Football Club of Maiduguri for missing the 2nd deadline given them to pay their players, and to also enforce their regulations and be strigent with their rules in order to check mate clubs who owe their players arbitrarily, and also ensure better welfare for the players.

“Not a day goes by that we open the newspapers and are not confronted with the embarrassing news of ill-treatment being meted out to our players by one club or the other, and this is very sad and portrays Nigerian football, the LMC and the NFF very negatively to the outside world,” stated Barrister Ogbah in a press release.

“We all recall that the LMC in a letter dated October 7 2015 handed a 14-working days  ultimatum to El-Kanemi Warriors FC to pay all outstanding financial entitlements of players  and officials failing which if there was no proof of compliance after October 27, the club  will be immediately deducted six points having failed to meet an earlier 60 days notice of  Summary Jurisdiction.

“October 27 is nearly two weeks ago and El-Kanemi paid only one month  out of 8 months they owe and yet we have not heard any pronouncement from the LMC  sanctioning them with a 6 points deduction as they previously threatened to do.

“If I am not  mistaken, I recall that LMC ordered payment of ALL months owed and not some, so even paying 7 out of the 8 months owed is defaulting yet El-Kanemi paid only one month and the LMC kept quiet and this is totally wrong.

“This silence is detrimental to all concerned and stakeholders of Nigerian football  and  LMC’s indecisiveness and failure to act promptly is setting a very bad precedent as  everybody, clubs, players, the general public are watching closely to see the outcome of  this impasse.

“The effectiveness of every rule lies in its enforcement. If you make rules and  don’t enforce it then it speaks volumes of your control over the people you make the rules for.

“I really pity the players. Most of them are breadwinners of their families yet wicked club  administrators deprive them of their hard earned entitlements and still carry on like nothing happened.

“They are scared stiff that at the end of the season the clubs will just  sack them as usual and their money will go up in smoke and they need the LMC, and NFF to  come to their aid immediately and do the right thing.

“Warri Wolves too their deadline will  expire a day before the last league match of the day and yet they haven’t paid their players  and since El-Kanemi have not been hit with a 6 points deduction they don’t have anything to  be afraid of because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

“All these while I have not heard a whimper from the players body because it’s not surprising because as far as I am  concerned Nigerian players do not have a union.

“However, I am also surprised that SWAN and other stakeholders have kept quiet about it all.

“Also, I forsee any team that is relegated to challenge their relegation especially if they  calculate and see that if El-Kanemi Warriors had been hit with the points deduction then  they would have survived.

“This is hazardous to our development in Nigeria and the LMC and/or NFF and whoever is concerned should do something about it before it gets out of hand.

“I suggest that action should be taken immediately to stop all these embarrassing salary issues once and for all, and all stakeholders invited and expert opinion sought as to how to stop all this madness,” concluded Barrister Ogbah