One of the leading sports administrators in Nigeria, Eddie Ogbemudia has urged the interim management committee to remain firm on regulations concerning players contract with clubs in bid to curb sudden contract terminations, unpaid salaries.
Eddie allayed that some clubs don’t honor contracts with players and feel that they can do anything in thier judgement like unjustly terminating players contract, not paying thier renumeration and lack of proper welfare from the clubs, Sports247.ng writes.
“Talking about contracts and players renumeration, I have gone through them and see that the same requirements of 25 players earning N150,000 minimum are still there,” he said of this season’s IMC regulations for clubs.
“I’m very glad with some comments made by the IMC chairman that what they plan because they know the cost of living has increased drastically due to inflation and other economy indices, they want to see how they can target at least a million naira as a minimum wage for players that play in NPFL which is something very commendable. I just hope they can do something like that.”
“Lets hope clubs will honor contracts because there are some players that have been signed in some clubs infact I have about 3 instances in El Kanemi Warriors that have reached out to me personally that they have been signed by the club and even earned thier salary twice but recently someone just met them that they should leave the camp immediately that they are no longer needed,” Eddie revealed.
“It’s strange to me that you will engage a professional in contract and as the contract is going on, you will just wake up one morning on the bad side of the bed and say that thier service is no longer required, there are rules as stated by the IMC.”
“If you really want to say okay you want to terminate this relationship, there are consequences, there are ways you can discuss with a player that these are the reasons why I’m letting you go untimely before the expiration of your contract, this is the compensation that I will give you.”
“No player that’s sane won’t want to reason with you with the reasons you have stated and go out peacefully because of relationship.”
“They believe they have the veto power, send players out of the camp, dismissing them as beggars, players you courted and pleaded with and they accepted your terms and signed with you, then after some time you treat them a beggars, it’s unfortunate,” he bemoaned.
‘If the main actors who are the players are not having confidence in the league board because you can see nobody even talked about the players. Even those clamoring for the full league don’t know the toll on these players who will be traveling back to back on lengthy bad roads just to play and come back again having issues of salaries being delayed.”
“IMC should please put in place mercenaries to make sure that the issue of over dues payable is limited to the minimum if not expunged from the league because it’s a very painful thing. They should take note and sanction clubs when issues like this arises so that all the other clubs can sit up,” he advised.
