By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been advised by the federal government to immediately withdraw the licence it gave the League Management Company (LMC) for the running of the local football league.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Ismaila Abubakar, the central government explained that this has become necessary because the court has declared the private organisation as illegal.
The statement said it is absurd for a private company to be handed over the sole rights to manage the local league without any form of control and inclusion of football club owners.
The national government stressed that to avert further chaos in domestic football, the NFF should revoke the licence to LMC and institute an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to include the current Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the LMC to oversee the affairs of the league until a proper Professional League Board is constituted in accordance with the Statutes of the NFF.
“In view of the several unpleasant incidents regarding the management of the football league, specifically, the declaration of the National Football League (NFL) as an illegal body by the court; the status of the League Management Company (LMC), the NFL’s successor-in-title being outside the purview of the statutes of the NFF; the federal government is constrained to withdraw its recognition of the LMC as the operator of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) with immediate effect,” the statement said.
“This decision has become necessary because of the obvious aberration (which is at variance with our football statutes or the laws of the land) whereby a private company is GIFTED the mandate to manage or run the league indefinitely, without the full involvement of and leadership by the clubs, and devoid of any process to monitor the progress and development of the game,” it added.
“Sequel to the above, and in order to rescue our domestic football from total collapse, the board of the LMC and the LMC as a body would no longer be recognised by the federal government as operator of the Nigerian Professional Football League.
“To avert further chaos in our domestic football, the NFF is advised to immediately withdraw the Licence given to the LMC and, in the meantime, set up an Interim Management Committee (IMC), to include the current Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the LMC to oversee the affairs of the League until a proper Professional League Board is constituted in accordance with the Statutes of the NFF,” the notice further said.
Dipo Olowookere