30th October, 2013
The Nigeria Premier League Club Chairmen and Managers Meeting on Wednesday in Abuja said the member-clubs would no longer do business with the League Management Company (LMC).
Isaac Danladi, Chairman of the meeting who read their communiqué to newsmen, said the decision was based on the expiration of the one-season tenure given to the LMC to operate.
“The meeting is insisting on the expiration of the tenure of the LMC in line with the terms of reference given to the company by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA),’’ he said.
Aminu Maigari, the NFA Chairman, had inaugurated the LMC in Abuja on Dec. 27, 2012.
This was in the wake of the impeachment of the Victor Baribote-led board of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) by the league’s 20-member congress, which had triggered off a crisis.
The LMC was charged by the NFA to resolve all lingering issues in the Premier League before the commencement of the 2012/2013 season which ended on 20 October.
The 13-member committee which had a former member of the House of Representatives, Nduka Irabor as chairman and Tunji Babalola as Secretary was also charged with the task to review the league’s television and sponsorship rights.
It was mandated to facilitate the reform of the league towards achieving profitability and review existing rules and guidelines for elections into the NPL Board.
The LMC had then gone on to organise the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), with the Kano Pillars Football Club winning the Glo Premier League title.
“The meeting specially thanked the chairmen and members of the LMC for their efforts in organising the just-concluded league season.
“It also thanked the LMC for several innovations and suggestions on the way forward and wished the members well in their future endeavours,’’ Danladi, who is also Chairman of Nasarawa United FC of Lafia, said.
He however added that the meeting believes that there was a need for an immediate conduct of elections to usher in a substantive league board.
This, he said, would be done in line with relevant statutes governing football globally as stipulated in the FIFA Electoral Code and affirmed by the NFA.
“In order to avoid a vacuum, the outgoing LMC is to hand over to the secretariat of the league.
“The league secretariat will liaise with the present club owners’ executive, pending the election of a substantive board,’’ Danladi added.
He further said the meeting directed the outgoing LMC to liaise with the board of Kano Pillars FC to ensure a quick presentation of the league trophy to the winners.
Participants in the meeting are members of the group also known as the Club Owners Forum.