Blame NPFL For Rangers Woes, Top Sports Lawyer Says Nigerian Players Are Treated Worse Than Slaves

Foremost Nigerian sports lawyer, Barrister Johnny Precious Ogbah of Manchester based Activity Chambers has blasted football administrators in the country for the woes of Nigerian players, saying their neglect in the welfare of the home based player especially regarding respect for contractual stability is what culminated in the recent disqualification of the Rangers International from the CAF Confederations Cup for featuring an ineligible player.

"The Nigerian league player is treated worse than a slave by the clubs and club administrators yet the NFPL and the NFF who should protect them know this but chose to fold their hands and watch the goose that lay the golden egg to suffer.

''I am saying this because almost every other day I hear players moan and groan about unpaid sign on fees, salaries, slashed bonuses, etc.

"All these happen because the clubs enter into agreements with their players at the beginning of every season and get the players to sign the standard league registration form and use these as the contracts between them and the players.

''But instead of giving the players a copy of these contracts like they should the clubs keep the copies to themselves and so when there is a dispute between the club and the players its the club's word against the players word.

''The club has more contacts than the player so 9 times out of 10 the player faces a loosing battle to recover whatever the club had promised him.

"In such a situation, a player enters into a one year contract but at the end of the year when he wants to move to another club since he doesn't have a copy of the contract his old club insist that he still has a binding contract with them.

''Because he doesn't have a copy of his contract to prove that it has ended, he is left perpetually bound to his old club until they see a tam willing to take him on their terms. This is absurd but true.

"Most times players sign a contract for a year and since they do not have a copy of the contracts, the clubs make it for 2 or more years when they go to submit the NPFL body's copies and even if a player counters this, he does not have a copy to prove his case so against the doctrine of Res Ipsa Loquitor, the facts in the documents submitted for the clubs speak for themselves in favour of the clubs.

"The authorities can easily remedy it by enforcing their own rules which make it mandatory for clubs to give players a copy of their contracts but they choose to ignore this and allow the Nigerian player to suffer.

''This must stop. I believe the Honourable Nduka Irabor led LMC will definitely do something about this because it amounts to modern day slavery," lamented Barrister Ogbah.

"I believe this is what happened in the Sunday Mbah and Chigozie Agbim cases Rangers had against Wolves. Also, the case of Emmanuel Daniel from 3SC is similar.

''The player believes his one year contract with 3SC is over. If he has prove of this, fine and fair. If he doesn't, and the authorities do not have a record in line with this position in their records, then Rangers are in a deep mess," he concluded.