A new battle in Nigerian football may be in the offing, as the Nigeria Football Federation’s Annual General Assembly holds on Thursday (today) in Lagos.
Five statutory bodies make up the NFF – the players union, coaches union, referees, the clubs and the state FAs – but our correspondent learnt that the players union, which has been factionalised following a leadership rift, would be represented by the All Nigerian Players Union at the AGA, which hasn’t gone down well with the other group Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, led by ex-international Tijani Babangida.
PFAN president Babangida warned that any decision taken at the AGA without his group would be inconsequential.
He said, “PFAN is the statutory member (of the NFF) and nothing has changed because if you want to change you have to take it to the congress and allow it.
“Any decision they take at the congress will be null and void because the appropriate body to represent the players was absent. We vacated the court order for the congress to be held because we are major stakeholders in Nigerian football.
“Our association is the one recognised by FIFA and the NFF congress. If they think they can push us aside, they will be making a serious mistake. We are going to fight for our rights. We are ready to go back to court to stop the congress.”
But founder of the new All Nigerian Players Union, Chikelue Iloenyosi, who resigned from the body and is now Chairman, Anambra State FA, insisted the players would be represented by ANPU at the AGA and not PFAN.
“I’m no longer with ANPU, but what I can confirm to you is that the All Nigerian Players Football Union is the authentic body that will represent the players union at the AGA. They are the only players’ body that has an affiliation letter from the Nigerian Football Federation,” Iloenyosi told The PUNCH.
