The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) has once again exposed its double standards by shielding Niger Tornadoes from justice in the case of Micheal Anthony Adoyi, a player unlawfully sacked and left to suffer despite a clear ruling in his favour.
In January 2025, the NPFL ordered Niger Tornadoes to pay Adoyi ₦1.35 million after the club unilaterally terminated his contract when he returned from his wedding break—a direct violation of his contract and the league regulations. Yet, eight months later, Adoyi has not received a kobo.
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Under the NPFL’s own rules, particularly Rule 9.45 of the NPFL Framework, clubs with overdue payables face strict sanctions:
Fines
Bans on registering new players
Deduction of points
Withholding of funds
But in Adoyi’s case, not a single sanction was enforced. Instead, Niger Tornadoes was allowed to register and field new players for the new season, a privilege they should have lost the moment they defaulted in the payment due to the Adoyi.
This inaction shows not negligence, but complicity. The NPFL effectively collaborated with the club to dump a player they had promised to protect.
“It’s been tough for me and my family… even NPFL doesn’t care about us,” Adoyi lamented recently.
His cry is not isolated, it reflects the plight of many Nigerian players who are abandoned by the very system meant to protect them.
The hypocrisy is glaring, the NPFL leadership routinely preaches professionalism and players’ welfare and never act on it.
When it comes to enforcing its own disciplinary framework, it looks the other way.
The NPFL framework regulations are straight forward as it relates to sanctions for overdue payable as outlined in Article 9.45.4
9.45.4.1 – Warning
9.45.4.2 – A Reprimand
9.45.4.3 – A fine
9.45.4.4 – A ban from registering new players.
9.45.4.5 – Confiscation of proceeds to the club from transfer or sale of players.
9.45.4.6 – Withholding of funds accruing to the Club from the NPFL and using such funds to settle the overdue payables
9.45.4.7 – Deduction of points
The NPFL in its hypocritical style ignored the sanctions as stated in 9.45.4.1 to 9.45.4.5 and prefers to apply 9.45.4.6 which details are closely known to the league body alone, even participating clubs do not know when funds are available to be shared.
Worse, the NPFL had publicly assured Adoyi that his money would be deducted from Niger Tornadoes’ grants before the end of the 2024/25 season. Nothing was done. No explanation given. The new season 2025/26 kicked off few days ago and no payment has been made to the player till date.
So, what credibility does the NPFL still have?
Rule 9.45.4.1–7 were ignored.
No fine. No ban. No withholding. No deduction.
Niger Tornadoes escaped scot-free, while a player’s career and livelihood hang in the balance.
This is not just a failure of enforcement, it is a betrayal.
A betrayal of Adoyi. A betrayal of Nigerian footballers. A betrayal of the NPFL’s own frameworks and regulations.
Until the NPFL leadership shows the courage to apply its rules without fear or favour, Nigerian players will remain pawns in a broken system where clubs use and dump them with impunity.
Micheal Anthony Adoyi’s case is not just a scandal, it is an indictment on the NPFL itself.
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