Poor Records Mar Nigerian League

The poor documentation of players transfer in the Nigeria Professional Football League was again brought to the forefront recently, when a Nigerian club side was expelled from the CAF Confederations Cup.

There has been series of controversies surrounding the transfers of Nigerian players from one club to another but the most recent one has raised questions over poor documentation by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF; the League Management Company, LMC and the respective clubs.

The failure of Rangers International of Enugu and Shooting Stars Sports Club, 3SC of Ibadan to successfully document the transfer of Daniel Emmanuel prompted the Confederation of African Football, CAF to expel Rangers from the ongoing CAF Confederations Cup.

CAF had in statement expelled Rangers following a protest filed by Tunisian Club Sportif Sfaxian (C.S.S.), the CAF Organising Committee for the Interclub Competitions had confirmed that player Emmanuel was not eligible to participate with Club Enugu Rangers in match number 90, played on 22 June 2013, against the C.S.S., since the player had not been registered in a regulatory manner, in accordance with Article 25 of the Regulations governing the competition.

Emmanuel’s case is not the first involving players from the Nigerian Professional Football League as the two of AFCON heroes, Chigozie Agbim and Sunday Mba were also entangled in a web of controversy between Rangers and Warri Wolves.

Both teams laid claims to owning both players but the NFF had to wade in to stem the tide before the transfer saga was resolved.

Apart from the transfer saga involving Agbim and Mba, a Nigerian player, who now plies his trade in Libya faulted Nigerian clubs for improper documentation of players transfer stating that he had to part with a large of money before he could secure his International Transfer Certificate, ITC from his parent club.

The player, who was pivotal in Heartland’s retention of the Federation Cup before going abroad, said the problem of improper documentation is partly that of the NFF and the clubs.

According to him “Clubs lure players to sign with what i would want to call devil’s carrot, some clubs even go as far as holding back to your ITC because they don’t want you to move to bigger clubs.”

In much organised leagues across the world players are made to pass through stringent process before they join any club but same cannot be said of the Nigerian league as argued by a FIFIA licensed agent, who craved anonymity.

The agent opined that the system being operated in Nigeria does not encourage proper documentation; he noted that some staffs of the NFF connive with clubs to issue ITC to players, who are still under the payroll of their clubs.

He posited that some of the staffs even connive with clubs to swindle some players insisting that players are not allowed to speak directly with clubs that are interested in their services, “It is only in Nigeria where players speak directly with clubs, take the case of Osaze Odemwingie who wanted to force his way out of Westbromwich Albion, he was refused because he didn’t follow the proper channel, if we must move the Nigerian League forward due process and proper documentation must be paramount in our day-to-day running of the league.”

—Adebobola Alawode