The Nation Newspaper

Tag: LMC

  • Kano Pillars place five players on transfer

    Kano Pillars place five players on transfer

    Kano Pillars Football Club of Kano have declared five of its players surplus to requirement.

    The club’s Media Officer Idris Malikawa said the affected players were released based on the recommendations from its technical crew.

    Malikawa said the report indicated that the players did not perform well last season while some were dropped on medical ground.

    He said the management thanked them for the services rendered to the club and wish them the best in their future endeavours.

    He also hinted that the new players who are on the radar of the club are expected to hit camp at the ancient city of Kano today (Friday) to begin preparations for the coming football season.

    Malikawa also disclosed that the new Technical Adviser, Kadiri Ikhana took charge of the affairs of the training programme on Thursday at Sani Abacha Stadium Kano, warning the players that he would not accept any acts of indiscipline from any of them.

    Ikhana also told them that the programme for the season has commenced with a twice daily training session, to keep them in good shape for the coming season.

     

  • MFM FC appoint new director, Adeyemi

    MFM FC appoint new director, Adeyemi

    Following the ongoing restructuring of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club of Lagos, the General overseer of the church, Dr. Daniel Olukoya has appointed Mr Emmanuel Adeyemi as the Director of the club.

    The new Director will henceforth be representing the General overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries worldwide who is now the chairman of the football team at all LMC’s meeting.

    Adeyemi who has been charged by Dr. Olukoya to take full responsibility of running the club’s activities described the new appointment as a great opportunity to discover more lost souls and bring them back to Christ as he revealed the vision of the G.O for the football club in an interview with the media team of the modest NPFL outfit.

    “It’s a great opportunity given to me by the General Overseer to contribute positively towards the repositioning agenda of the youths through football and to assist in developing the football team and winning the youths back to Christ.

    “The General Overseer believes so much in the youths. His love and appetite for empowering the youths is unprecedented and legendary, we will work hard to ensure that we have a better outing in the next session.

    “Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football team is founded on a vision given by God to move the youths out of the woods to a position of destiny.

    “Our General Overseer instituted this destiny discovering programme for the youths in a bid to ensure that they live a Godly life, fulfill their destinies, rewrite their family histories and positively impact their generation for Christ,” he told mountaintopfc.com.

  • LMC operations intact despite plots to embarrass officials

    LMC operations intact despite plots to embarrass officials

    The League Management  Company (LMC) on Thursday insisted that its officers were never declared wanted by the Police and can therefore not be on the run because there are laid out and well known procedures the Police adopt in declaring a person wanted.

    LMC made the declaration in the aftermath of a staged raid by some Policemen at its corporate head office on Osun Crescent, Abuja purportedly seeking to arrest and imprison its Chairman, Shehu Dikko and Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar on the orders of Mr. Justice I.I Kunda of the Jos Division of the Plateau State High Court.

    The LMC said it was aware of a court order from the said Judge but added that it has appealed the order and filed a motion for stay of execution.

    A statement from the company yesterday clarified that in addition to filing a formal protest to the Office of the Inspector General Of Police (IGP), it has verified from the Police command that at no time did it declare the LMC officials wanted.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, there are spelt out procedures for declaring a person wanted by the Police. Courts do not declare persons wanted but if a court wishes to compel the appearance of a person before it, the court issues a bench warrant directing the Police to arrest and produce the person before it on a given date.

    “The Police or other law enforcement agencies can declare a person wanted if they find reasons to do so, particularly if the person is a suspect in the commission of a crime and is on the run. In other words, the assistance of the public at large is being sought to apprehend such a person.

    “Such declaration will be made by formal public pronouncement by the Police and not a handful working with shadowy persons to achieve personal set agenda”, the LMC explained.

    In the petition filed by LMC Lawyer, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN) noted that, “although there was no direction by the court to the Inspector General of Police to arrest our clients and take them to prison, we still felt it is necessary to make the position of the law on the point clear so that some operatives of the force are not misled by the applicant in the suit to do anything which may conflict with the settled principles of law as stated above”.

    The petition continued, “according to the well established principle of law, nobody is entitled to act or do anything towards the enforcement or execution of an order of court against which an appeal and a motion for stay of execution have been filed until after the appeal is disposed off”.

    The LMC described what happened at its office on Wednesday as “a stage-made charade to embarrass the LMC and its officials using some misguided media persons in a coordinated syndication of the story of an operation that was of no effect”.

    It reiterated that several rulings of the Jos High Court Judge is already on appeal with motions for stay of execution filed. “We expect the Appeal Court to consider these on Monday, September 26. We expect that on the strength of our case, this dubious order by the lower Court would be squashed”.

    The LMC urged the general public to rest assured that the “LMC will continue to carry on its lawful business and operation in spite of the desperate efforts by some to intimidate it and bend it’s will against the  Framework and Rules of NPFL and the laws of the land”.

  • Sallah holiday forces LMC to reschedule Heartland’s, Enyimba’s matches

    Sallah holiday forces LMC to reschedule Heartland’s, Enyimba’s matches

    Enyimba and Heartland will be involved in  rescheduled Nigeria league matches from mid-week.

    Champions Enyimba will be at bottom club Ikorodu United on Wednesday, while the match between El Kanemi Warriors and Heartland in Maiduguri will be staged on Thursday.

    The El Kanemi vs Heartland fixture was originally slated for last weekend, but a mix-up in the flight booking for Heartland to fly to Maiduguri meant it was shifted to Tuesday.

    However, the Sallah holiday on Monday and Tuesday have now moved this fixture to Thursday.

    Heartland are seriously battling against relegation for the first time in their history.

    ‘The Naze Millionaires’ are 18th on the table with 37 points from 32 matches.

  • LMC reschedules five NPFL matches

    LMC reschedules five NPFL matches

    The League Management Company (LMC) has rescheduled five matches in this season’s Nigeria Professional Football League.

    The match day 29 fixture involving Rivers United and Ikorodu United which should have been played on July 31 will now come up on August 11 at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt.

    An auto crash involving Rivers United on Thursday necessitated the change in date for the fixture which could have seen the Port Harcourt club go level on points with Wikki Tourists at the summit of the NPFL standings if they defeat Ikorodu United.

    Meanwhile, four outstanding fixtures involving the champions, Enyimba, have also been rescheduled.

    The Peoples Elephant will now face Sunshine Stars in Port Harcourt on August 3 while their outstanding game against Wikki Tourists will now be played on September 7.

  • LMC to reveal Yobo’s NPFL club this week

    LMC to reveal Yobo’s NPFL club this week

    • Ex- Eagles’ star agrees to be NPFL Ambassador

    Ex-Nigeria international, Joseph Yobo will come out of retirement to play for a top club in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) in the remainder of the season after he agreed to be NPFL Ambassador. The club the former Everton and Fenerbahce defender will lace boots for will be made public this week.

    Kano Pillars, FC IfeanyiUbah, Rivers United and Wikki Tourists are clubs that have shown interest in the services Yobo and the LMC will this week conclude on the one the Port Harcourt born player will feature for with 10 matches to the end of the current season.

    The Chairman of the LMC, Shehu Dikko in a chat with SportingLife hinted that the league body is presently holding discussion with clubs that have indicated interest in the ex-Eagles’ talisman and that the identity of the club that gets the nod will be revealed in the coming days.

    He told SportingLife: “Yobo and LMC have concluded arrangements for him to be NPFL ambassador which is the first step. It is the conclusion of the offer and acceptance and next week (this week) we would likely conclude on the club he would play with among those that wanted him.

     

  • NASD, LMC sign MoU on listing of football clubs

    NASD, LMC sign MoU on listing of football clubs

    The NASD OTC Securities Exchange and the League Management Company (LMC) have agreed on a relationship that will open up the potential of the capital market to the professional football clubs.

    At the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NASD and LMC yesterday in Lagos, the parties committed to a mutual and partnership, kicking off the process that will see emergence of innovative financing solutions for football clubs and the listing of football clubs at the stock market.

    Managing Director, NASD Plc, Mr. Bola Ajomale, said the partnership marks the beginning of merging of financial and sporting interests in an unprecedented step.

    According to him, while it is not often that securities markets and football are discussed in the same conversation, but the merging of sporting and financing interests could lead to several possibilities that will improve the fortunes of the sporting world.

    He noted that that like any other commodity, football clubs have rising and falling fortunes and can live or die depending on the foresight of the managers, which underlines the need to not only look at the passionate side of soccer but also the business side.

    “At a time that state and federal government are seeking to reorder their expenditure patterns, it is appropriate for the LMC to look at allowing private and public investment play a bigger role in the financing of the most popular sport in Nigeria and indeed, the rest of the world. We at NASD share the belief that Nigerian football clubs can harness the power of the capital market and the passion of sport-loving Nigerians to develop reliable funding channels,” Ajomale said.

    League Management Company (LMC) Chairman, Shehu Dikko, said the signing of the MoU was a historic step that signposts its vision of providing strong structures for Nigerian professional football clubs.

    According to him, there is the need to standardise the football clubs in line with the global trend, in a partnership that will pursue joint interest in development and promotion of  professional football league and create financing opportunities for the football clubs.

    He said the deal will lead to a deeper engagement of the private sector, which is the backbone of football sponsorship in advanced leagues of the world while the NASD will also facilitate the creation of special products including fans-based cooperatives and provide the football clubs the platform to trade their shares openly and transparently.

    “This has the potential to position our clubs to offer attractive and competitive remuneration to players and attract competent marketing and administrative executives to improve the commercial operations of the clubs,” Dikko said.

     

  • LMC reminds clubs on need for adequate security, restriction of access

    LMC reminds clubs on need for adequate security, restriction of access

    The League Management Company (LMC) has again reminded all participating clubs in the 2015/16 season of the  Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) of the need to not only provide adequate security at match venues but also enforce the restriction of access by unauthorised persons to restricted areas.

    The reminder, which came vide a memo dated June 21 and signed by the Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar expressed the LMC’s concerns over recent reports of spate of encroachment on the field of play by unauthorised persons and advised the clubs to ensure strict adherence to the rules at all times.

    “Kindly be advised that the League Rules require all clubs at all times in the course of their home matches, that there is adequate security, crowd control and restriction of access by unauthorised persons to all restricted areas in line with Rule B13.52.

    “To this end, only authorised match officials and accredited match day personnel are allowed within the vicinity of the technical area, the dressing rooms and the field of play etc”, the LMC warned.

    It further notified the clubs that substitute players, club officials and other unauthorised persons are prohibited from standing behind the goal posts during matches in line with Rule B13. 53.

    The LMC, therefore, enjoined all the clubs to adhere to the regulations to ensure a successful conclusion of the remaining fixtures of the season.

  • LMC extends mid season transfer deadline till June 10

    LMC extends mid season transfer deadline till June 10

    League Management Company (LMC) has extended the mid-season transfer window by one week, an official of the league body has told SportingLife.

    The transfer window ought to have closed today by the circular containing the programme of the league body issued out at the beginning of the season, but mounting pressure from club officials that the time wasn’t sufficient has made the LMC to have a change of heart.

    By the latest arrangement, the mid-season transfer now closes on Friday 10th June, 2016.

  • LMC demands players’ attestation from Clubs

    LMC demands players’ attestation from Clubs

    Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs have a two weeks window which started from 8am on Monday, May 23 to 5pm on June 3 to register new players and sign up players on permanent or temporary transfers.

    The League Management Company (LMC), in a circular to all clubs, announced the opening of the mid-season transfer window but also reminded the clubs that for any registration to be approved, attestation letters from the serving players and coaches of the clubs must be presented confirming that their obligations to the players and coaches have been fully met.

    “Kindly be advised that pursuant to Rules B9.61 and B9.63 of the Framework and Rules of the NPFL, the Second Transfer Window of the 2015/16 NPFL season opens at 8.00am on Monday, May 23 and closes at 5.00pm on Friday, June 3, 2016.

    Therefore, within this period, any club may apply for the new registration of a player or to have the registration of a player transferred to it or for a temporary transfer”, the circular informed the clubs.

    The LMC circular further stated, “pursuant to Rules B9.45.2 and Rules B9.45.4.4, every club is expected to submit the attestation by each of its currently registered players as a pre-condition for registration. This is to ensure that there are no overdue payments owed the players.”

    The enforcement of the provisions of the rule is being pursued by the LMC to prevent and minimise the incident of indebtedness to players which become manifest towards the end of every season. This step is to compliment the requirement for the submission of Financial Guarantees by the clubs.