President of the Nigeria Football Association (NFF) Amaju Pinnick, and the President of the National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers (NANPF), Tijani Babangida, has expressed optimism over the well-being of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) players, saying NFF and NANPF are working to ensure that clubs paid their players’ salaries.
NFF logo. Photo credit: NFF.com
All sporting activities in the world have come to a halt due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has a massive effect on clubs’ finances, forcing owners to slash players’ salaries in the European leagues, which has led to concerns over the fate of the NPFL payers.
In line with the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused a total lockdown and stoppage of all football activities in the country and the world at large, the Board of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has mandated the federation to prioritise its programs, activities and competitions in which it will partake.
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In a communique issued after its executive committee meeting held via video conference on Friday, the president, Amaju Pinnick and secretary-general, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi of the football federation has been “mandated to cut down expenses from all areas possible and enforce belt-tightening measures in the running of the Federation, to ensure the Federation operates only within the framework of guaranteed revenue.”
In the same vein, the communique also stated that the federation has “mandated the President to meet with the Federation’s Official Optimum Partner, AITEO especially to discuss matters involving the AITEO Cup 2020 competition and payment of coaches’ salaries.
NPFL Logo. Photo Credit: NPFL.com
The NFF will create windows for the various stages of the AITEO Cup competition to run its full course in order for Nigeria to register her representatives for next season’s CAF Confederation Cup competition.
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Similarly, the NFF/Zenith Bank Future Eagles Championship, which state competitions have already been concluded (with some zones having also completed their competitions) will run its full course immediately after the COVID-19 and resumption of football activities.
However, former Super Eagles winger Babangida, in a chat with Sports Yarn Class on Sunday, assured that they would ensure players’ salaries were taken care of.
In his words “This is a trying time, not for only Tijani Babangida but the whole people in the world and for sure I am keeping safe which is the best thing to do,” Babangida said.
“When you talk of players union and football, you are definitely talking about FIFA and those that are affiliated to them and we are affiliated to NFF and FIFPro as well.
“And of course we are talking to FIFA, LMC and even with NFF at the same time and trying to see how we can be able to work together.
“For instance the case that happened with Yobe Stars where the club just woke up one day and said 75 percent of the players’ salaries should be cut off, which we immediately reacted to.”
The ex-Ajax forward added that they had already written to the NFF to have a stakeholder meeting to discuss issues with the clubs so that they could pay salaries.
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“You will see that aside Yobe Stars, I don’t think any club in Nigeria in the Premier League has any issue with that.
“We are opening and watching to see where players are having issues so that we can intercept.”
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