By Raphael Ekpang
The minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi and the president of the Nigeria football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari have separately rejected a declaration by owners of clubs in the Nigeria Premier League that they have ‘sacked’ the League Management Company (LMC). NFF inaugurated LMC last year to administer the elite division of Nigeria’s domestic football.
The minister said there is no way he can accept such declaration having considered what Hon. Nduka Irabor led LMC has injected into the league; the innovation, finance and acceptability of the league amongst Nigerians.
“I am in support of the NFF (which) has rejected the purported sack of the LMC by owners/club chairmen. LMC has done enough within the ten months it held sway in the league, check out the innovation, money and sanitization within the just concluded season,” he said.
Rising from its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, October 30, the club owners/managers had declared in their communiqué: “The meeting emphasized on the expiration of the tenure of the LMC in line with the terms of reference given to them by the NFF.
But, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, said that the League Management Company remains in place.
In a press release made available to Newsdiaryonline, NFF president, Aminu Maigari all the way from the United Arab Emirates where the Golden Eaglets are participating in the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup insisted that the LMC was inaugurated by the NFF, granted license by the NFF to administer the Premier League on its behalf and can only be sent packing by the NFF.
“I am shocked to hear about a meeting of club owners/managers where they reportedly told the LMC to hand over to the Secretariat of the League. That is not within their purview; it is the responsibility of the NFF to determine the fate of the LMC.
“The LMC has done very well within the past 10 months to reposition the Premier League, and they deserve commendation. The club managers themselves admitted that the LMC has brought several innovations to the running of the League. Why do they want to throw all that away in a hurry?” Maigari queried.
He continued, “As far as the NFF, the supreme football-governing body in Nigeria is concerned, the LMC remains firmly in place and will have the opportunity to continue its good works for a period to be determined shortly.”
