Nigeria representative, Abia Warriors FC in the 2025/2026 CAF Confederations Cup is in danger of being expelled from the competition due to failure to settle players Indebtedness 12 months after the NFF Players Arbitration and Status Committee delivered Judgement against the club.
In a judgement delivered in May 2024 by the PSAC, Abia Warriors was ordered to pay their former players Imoh Azuibuike N3.15 million, Julius Obinna N3 million, Ikedinachi Nwakanma N4 million and Alegbe Victor N5 Million, these payment Abia Warriors FC failed to clear within the 45 days deadline from the date of judgement and even after over 365 days with more than 50% still outstanding.
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This is a clear violation of the PSAC ruling and demonstration of incapacity to satisfy the Financial requirements in the CAF Licensing criteria before a club can be allowed to participate in CAF Competitions.
As part of the condition for a club to be considered fit to participate in the CAF Competition is to satisfy the CAF Club licensing criteria which include the following : Sporting, Infrastructure, Administrative and Personnel, Legal and Finance.
Clubs must meet specific standards in each area to be granted a license, allowing them to participate in CAF inter-club competitions like the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
For failure to honor PSAC verdicts on Players Indebtedness over time both in old and recent judgements against them the club is in violation of the Financial requirements of the CAF Club licensing requirement as the specific details of the financial criteria reads:
Clubs must meet financial criteria, including submitting financial statements, having no overdue payables, and demonstrating sound financial management practices as the
Clubs must submit audited financial statements, demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources, and ensure they are not in arrears with their financial obligations.
In a recent decision issued by the NFF PSAC in April 2025 Abia Warriors was also ordered to pay Aloma Idris N5 million and Igweuzo Nnamdi N6 million for unlawful contract terminations on or before June 2nd 2025
In the view, the club needs to quickly defrost these arrears before the deadline for CAF Club Licensing which may end by June 30 2025.
Otherwise the club may not be issued the necessary licensing clearance by NFF to participate in the CAF confederations.
Football stakeholders are keenly watching and the affected players have aired their intention to officially report their case directly to the CAF Legal Department for violations of the Club Licensing Regulations if the outstanding payments are not made within the timeline to ensure that justice is done as appropriate.
