Football in every part of the world is big business for those that handle it professionally, and as such when handling the beautiful game it requires professionalism, more so one must really understand the business and the necessary procedures in handling it in terms of the global industry of football.
However, the above assertion can’t be said of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), because the word professionalism is an alien word to the ears of the League’s management. In terms of handling players’ contracts, sign on fee, and their movement from one club to the other, as the players who are the main protagonist prefer going AWOL to force their move.
The unprofessional act had been the order of the day for some time in the NPFL, today we take a look at past events and the recent ones.
Otegbeye & ABS FC
In 2017, Ilorin based club ABS FC declared Ajibola Otegbeye absent from duty without permission, the Afonja’s club claimed that the player was due to resume for their training camp in Lokoja after the festive period, but decided to stay away without explanations.
The statement from the management of the club read thus, “The striker was supposed to resume training after the Christmas and New Year break but has not been seen since then,” a part of the statement from the club read further that the club are furious with the behavior of the player and warned that no one or club should do business with the player as he remains their player“.
In the course of investigating player whereabouts, haven’t informed the League Management Company (LMC) and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) about Ajibola absent, thereafter Ajibola claimed the club showed little or no concern about his health when he got injured.
According to Ajibola, “he claimed he got injured during the Nigeria National League (NNL) Super 4 in Gombe, he wasn’t taken care of, he claimed further that he took care of himself during the period of that injury”.
After serious discussion with the Ilorin base concerning his injury to get treated, nothing was done to it, during that time Ajibola traveled to Kano where he got himself treated, few weeks to pre-season he couldn’t resume with the rest of the team, and was later dropped when his team announced the full list traveling to the camp in Lokoja.
Rivers United, Okereke & Sanou
Two of Rivers United players were also declared to had gone AWOL, Aliassou Sanou and Maduabuchi Okereke, and three other players suspended due to misconduct.
Okereke and Sanou absconded from the club’s camp, a year later in 2018, Rivers United declared another player missing ‘Markson Ojobo, Ojobo failed to report to the team camp after the 2018 FIFA World Cup break. The reason for the unprofessional acts from the players was shielded away from the media.
Sunshine Stars & Israel Abia
The 2019/2020 Nigeria Professional Football League season did saw another madness unfold, as a player of the Akure based club Sunshine Stars Israel Abia went missing, not a case of alien abduction or missing his way to the club’s camp.
According to the club’s statement, the player who currently tops the NPFL goalscorer log with seven goals is said to have left the club without informing anyone, with the club preparing for their next match.
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Before then, speculations have been going around that few NPFL clubs are interested in securing Isreal, and as such, the Akure based club has threatened to take legal action against any team plotting to swoop on the in-form striker as the player is still very much contracted to Sunshine Stars.
In the end, Isreal Abia was found in Enugu and has penned a deal with the Flying Antelopes which brought an end to Abia’s dispute with his former club.
Akwa United & Samuel Matthias
Early this year Akwa United also declared Samuel Matthias missing without being on leave or any report as to why he didn’t report back to the club. In a statement signed by the club’s media manager Mfon Patrick, Matthias is understood to have gone Absent Without Leave (AWOL).
Mathias has been away from the team’s camp for more than a week without official permission and the club is not aware of his whereabouts,” the statement read.
The Promise Keepers notify Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the League Management Company (LMC) on Mathias’s absence and give out a straight warning to other clubs who might want to cash on the player to keep a distance.
Since Matthias joined the Promise Keepers from Lobi, he has found it difficult to play regular football under former coach John Obuh and his predecessor Kennedy Boboye, perhaps that led to him going AWOL.
However, in as much as going absent without leave isn’t professional, yet we can’t blame the players, perhaps if the league is being run professionally in terms of salaries, match bonuses and sign-on fees just like it is being done in other leagues, maybe we won’t record such unprofessional act from the players, the earlier the league is run in a proper way the better for the league’s development, but then it is left for the League’s management in taking a bold step in addressing all of that.
