The Nation Newspaper

Tag: LMC

  • Unpaid wages: Warri Wolves fail to meet LMC’s deadline

    Unpaid wages: Warri Wolves fail to meet LMC’s deadline

    • Club still owes 4-month salary, 100% signing-on fee, five-match bonuses

     • Risk six-point deduction

    Warri Wolves Football Club stand the risk of losing six points after failing to meet the League Management Company’s (LMC) deadline to pay all outstanding financial entitlements of its players and officials.

    The LMC had given Warri Wolves until October 24, which elapsed on Saturday, to settle the wages or risk fine.

    But SportingLife’s investigation at the club’s camp revealed that the club still owed players and officials four months salaries, 100% signing- on fees as well as five match bonuses.

    The Seasiders are second on the log with 59 points, two points behind table-toppers, Enyimba FC of Aba.

    A point deduction at this level will scuttle Warri Wolves’ hope of clinching the league title or getting continental ticket at the end of the season.

    A source told SportingLife that the club’s are now at the mercy of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to offset the wages.

    It would be recalled that players protested against their unpaid seven months salaries and allowances but the club pays three month salaries after the protest.

    SportingLife reports that players’ efforts to stage another protest and embark on strike was stopped by the LMC, insisting that time given to the club to pay the entitlements has not elapsed.

    But with the expiration of the 60 days notice given to the club  on Saturday,  management of the club is confused on what measure of punishment could be placed on the club.

    A player, who did not want his name mentioned in the media, told SportingLife that hunger is still in their camp.

    “There is hunger in our camp. We are still been owed four months and 100 per cent sign on fee plus five bonuses. So it’s bad and you know the LMC threatened to withdraw points. We are confused,” the player said.

    “The deadline ended on Saturday, according to a letter from the LMC. So our government needs to be reminded now as we risk sanction and points deduction.”

  • LMC effects minor fixture changes as season ends Nov. 15

    LMC effects minor fixture changes as season ends Nov. 15

    Modified fixture schedules for the remaining games of the 2014/15 Glo Premier League season was released Thursday by the League Management Company (LMC) which earlier announced the postponement of the Match Day 34 fixture between Sunshine Stars and Rangers International.

    With Sunshine Stars having six players in the Super Eagles squad leaving Nigeria today for the return leg of the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) the LMC had acceded to the request of the Akure club to have their match rescheduled in line with Article B15.14 of the Framework and Rules. Under the provision, a club with five players in the national teams can request for a shift in date of their game.

    According to the new schedule sent to the clubs and signed by the LMC Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar, Match Day 35 fixtures will no longer hold on Sunday, October 25 but will now be played on Wednesday, October 28. All Match Day 36 fixtures will hold on Sunday, November 1 while the rescheduled fixtures between Sunshine Stars and Rangers International and that between FC IfeanyiUbah and El-Kanemi Warriors will be played on Wednesday, November 4.

    The statement listed the date for Match Day 37 as Sunday, November 8 while the last games of the season will still hold on Sunday, November 15.

    Abubakar said the adjustments became necessary not only to enable the country have the services of the best players in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) but also to ensure that there will be no fixture congestions.

    “We set out to ensure that the best players will be on parade for Nigeria so we can defend the lead from the first leg and also clear all outstanding fixtures and have all games played at the same time”, Abubakar explained.

    He pointed out that the changes did not affect the date for the final games of the season which remains November 15.

  • NPFL: Yakmut hails LMC

    NPFL: Yakmut hails LMC

    The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC),  Alhassan Yakmut, has hailed the leadership quality of the  Shehu Dikko led board of the League Management Company (LMC), organisers of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) for raising the standard of the game.

    Yakmut, who was in Ilorin for the University of Ilorin 21km Marathon Race, said the LMC board had brought  enviable strides and sanity to football in the country.

    The D-G, who spoke with newsmen in Ilorin yesterday on  issues bordering on the development of sports in Nigeria, maintained that the LMC had taken the players welfare seriously and had reduced the desperation of wanting to win the league at all cost.

    “I am very jealous of the Nigeria Premier league under Shehu Dikko because they have broken some of my records.

    “I can see determination for innovation; I can see determination to confront elements that are trying to set the clock of development of the league backward.

    “I think generally the Nigeria premier league is on the right path of development,” Yakmut said.

    The former Nigeria Premier league (NPL) Executive Secretary, said the only issue remaining to be addressed is that of government ownership of some of the clubs.

    “We must commercialise our clubs and make the government own a stake or buy shares into teams and not full ownership of it.

    “Until this is done, our clubs will continue to be an extension of public agencies,” Yakmut said.

  • LMC congratulates CHAN Eagles, urge them to reach Finals

    LMC congratulates CHAN Eagles, urge them to reach Finals

    The League Management Company (LMC) is celebrating Nigeria’s Super Eagles creditable performance and win against Burkina Faso in the African Nation’s Championship (CHAN) as a reflection of the steady improvement and growing competitiveness of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and commended the players for the victory.

    Chairman of LMC, Shehu Dikko, who was at the Adokie Amesimaka Stadium with some other Directors of the LMC to cheer the players, spoke to them after the match urging them to double their contributions to ensure the final qualification is achieved.

    Dikko had led LMC Directors and NPFL Club Chairmen including Okey Ibe of Heartland, Akin Akinbola of Sunshine Stars, Dr. Ayo Ayodele and Okey Kpalukwu of Sharks on a morale boosting visit immediately after the game and urged them to “work even harder for the return leg as the job is not done yet until we secure the ticket to play in the finals in Rwanda”.

    Dikko described the performance as “a positive statement for our domestic league which didn’t go unnoticed by the global football community. More performances like this will be to your personal career benefit and greater attraction of positive attention to the NPFL across the globe”.

    Dikko, who also is the 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said the performance of the players and the outcome of the game is in tandem with the Federation’s objectives of using CHAN as a developmental platform for discovery of players that can be drafted to challenge for shirts in the mainstream Super Eagles.

    Yaro Bature of Nasarawa United fired Nigeria into a first half lead while Enyimba’s Ezekiel Bassey’s wing run into the Burkinabes’ box committed them to a penalty tackle that was coolly converted by Gbolahan Salami of Warri Wolves. The LMC Boss said, “the match was won comfortably to ensure that our qualification chances are now in our hands and it is obvious that we posted such credible performances from several players that suggests they can easily make the grade for the Super Eagles”.

    The return leg comes up this Saturday in Ougadougou.

  • LMC reschedules IfeanyiUbah, El Kanemi game

    LMC reschedules IfeanyiUbah, El Kanemi game

    A Week 33 game of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) between FC Ifeanyiubah and El Kanemi, which was not played as scheduled on Sunday will now be played on October 28, the League Management Company (LMC) announced.

    The game could not hold as scheduled on Sunday because El Kanemi Warriors players refused to travel for the game over unpaid salaries and a walkover formality was done by match officials.

    According to the LMC, El Kanemi will bear the cost of a Week 33 game adjustment as they will pay two million naira for organising the botched game and N240,000  assumed revenue not earned by the host team.

  • UNPAID WAGES: LMC threaten El-Kanemi with six points deduction

    UNPAID WAGES: LMC threaten El-Kanemi with six points deduction

    The League Management Company (LMC) has handed a 14-working days ultimatum to El Kanmei Warriors of Maiduguri to pay all outstanding financial entitlement of its players and officials.

    According to a release made available to SportingLife on Thursday, the decision on El-Kanemi Warriors was conveyed to the club in a letter dated October 7 and warned that if there was no proof of compliance after October 27, the club will be immediately deducted six points having failed to meet an earlier 60 days notice of Summary Jurisdiction.

    LMC issued the first order of six points’ deduction in its bid to secure the welfare of players in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

    While the 60 days notice lasted, the LMC had also written to El-Kanemi demanding full details of the club’s financial position as provided in the Rulebook which its response was not satisfactory. A notice of reminder of expiry of the deadline was also sent to the club which formed the basis for the decision to deduct six points from the club’s total points.

    In a letter signed by the Chief Operating Officer of the LMC, Salihu Abubakar, the letter read: “You are hereby notified of the decision of the League Management Company in respect of breach by El-Kanemi Warriors of Article B9.45 of the Framework and Rules of the Nigeria Professional Football League, that is, failure to pay financial entitlements of the players of the club for a period of more than 60 days.”

    It explained that the decision was sequel to notice of Summary Jurisdiction (Form 16) issued the club on August 5 wherein El-Kanemi Warriors was given a period of 60 days to remedy the breach. The club was informed that the consequences of their failure to remedy the breach are:

    “A deduction of six points is imposed on El-Kanemi Warriors” and that “the application of the points deduction referred in 1 above is suspended for a period of 14 clear working days from the date of this decision provided that if the club fails to remedy the breach within the period, the points deduction shall immediately take effect from October 28, 2015”.

    LMC further reminded El-Kanemi Warriors that further breaches of the regulation will be treated in line with the provisions of the rules.

    Warri Wolves, FC Taraba, and Dolphins are other clubs that have been issued notices of Summary Jurisdiction (Form 16) with deadlines that fall within the month of October.

  • LMC warns erring Sunshine, Rangers fans

    LMC warns erring Sunshine, Rangers fans

    FC, Rangers and FC Ifeanyi Ubah and their supporters to refrain from further disruptive behaviour during the remaining fixtures of the Glo Premier League 2014/15 season.

    In a major breakthrough for the campaign for conducive match day experience for fans at all Glo Premier League venues which has recorded an upsurge in attendance, including family groups showing up for games, security operatives at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano with the cooperation of Kano State FA and the Kano Pillars FC Management apprehended a serial disruptive fan, charged him to court for attempted breach of peace and secured a conviction.

    Underscoring the weight of the LMC’s concern on the matter, the letter to the clubs was personally signed by the Chairman, Shehu Dikko and warned that any further breach of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Framework and Rules by their supporters will attract varying but stringent sanctions that may include prosecution in a competent court.

    In the case of Sunshine Stars, the warning was occasioned by activities of some fans from the club’s official supporters club that led to disruption of peace of the fans during the Match Day 28 fixture between Sunshine Stars and Nasarawa United.

    In that of Rangers, it followed reports of some fans, one of which was expelled by the referee for unauthorised access to the technical area while the match day 29 fixture against Shooting Stars was on. Concerning FC Ifeanyiubah, the LMC noted that a supporter of the club was reported to have encroached on the pitch to forcefully remove an injured Kano Pillars player during their match day 30 fixture in Nnewi.

    In the letter, the LMC chairman said to the clubs that “you’ll recall that under the Framework and Rules governing the League, disturbances at match venues are prohibited and clubs are held responsible for the behaviour of their supporters before, during and after a match. Therefore, should you fail to address the situation forthwith, the LMC would be left with no option than to either close your stadium to supporters or implement a stadium ban and move your games to a neutral venue in another city as provided in the rules”.

    The three clubs and indeed all clubs in the NPFL were also reminded that the LMC has a pact with security agencies to treat match day disturbances as a criminal breach of the peace for which offenders will face prosecution. The recent case in Kano was cited as a reminder that such disruptions and or attempted disruption will be treated as a criminal offense and a general warning to other clubs that “the LMC will not hesitate to allow the same treatment meted to any individual who engages similar disruptive behaviour at match venues anywhere in the country.”

  • LMC solicits govt support for stadium facility upgrade

    LMC solicits govt support for stadium facility upgrade

    The League Management Company (LMC) has said its operations have been wholly funded from privately generated income and zero government financial contribution.

    Chairman of the LMC,  Shehu Dikko disclosed this and other initiatives of the league body when he appeared as a guest on Africa Independent Television’s (AIT) morning show, Kaakaki and explained that the LMC would love to see the government involved in the area of infrastructure upgrade while gradually divesting from club funding.

    “Since the LMC came on board, our funding has been sourced from commercial partnerships which is the practice globally and while we appreciate the companies that have bought rights from us, we are still not where we should be financially which explains our recent visit with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE),” Dikko said.

    Continuing on government’s role in football, the he said: “In the 90s, the government of Margareth Thatcher in the UK provided over £200m for the upgrading of stadia facilities across England and that contributed critically to what we have today as the best league in the world, and today the UK government is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the EPL, generating billions of pounds in taxes, football tourism, jobs and other socio-economic activities that are hinged on the EPL in the UK.

    “We also would seek government’s intervention in this direction and we are not asking for funds to be handed to anyone but for government to directly fund the upgrade of existing grounds and provision of required broadcast equipments and facilities in the stadiums.”

    Whilst acknowledging that foreign football, especially the EPL has over-shadowed the domestic league, Dikko also pointed out that it is a global phenomenon which some European countries are also facing.

    His words, “We are aware of the seeming preference for foreign football but it is not just football, Nigerians buy foreign cars instead of from PAN, we buy foreign rice  instead of local rice etc, but we are working on winning back the minds of the people. It is also not peculiar to Nigeria, go to Malaysia, China, Emirates and even at some point in Germany and Spain, everyone is trying not to compete with the English league”.

    He said the LMC has implemented and is also working on initiatives to uplift the league.

    “The club that wins the league this season will earn as much as N80million in revenue share, merit award, bonuses and kind and even the relegated club will earn a minimum of N55million. There are incentives for away wins, draws, attracting crowds to the games and we also provide official match balls to the teams including kit bags for the players.

    “More importantly, we are seeking pool sponsorship for all 20 clubs so their finances will improve and consequently, the welfare of players as well as drive the commercialisation of the clubs so as to make them attractive to investors,”he said.

  • Heartland beg LMC for leniency

    Heartland beg LMC for leniency

    Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side Heartland have pleaded with the League Management Company (LMC) to relax the three-match ban on Fortune Omoniwari.

    The former Sharks marksman was handed a straight red in the 0-2 loss to Nasarawa United in the match-day 23 clash in Lafia.

    The LMC was to come down heavily on the player with a stiff three-match ban due to the severity of his unsporting behaviour.

    An official of the Owerri outfit, Cajetan Nkwopara, said though the side summarily condemn acts of lawlessness, the three-match ban on Omoniwari is too harsh.

    “We are appealing to the LMC to tamper justice with mercy on Omoniwari with a kind review of the three-match ban. Omoniwari has already missed the match against Kwara United and there are two more matches to go.

    “We do not condone unruly acts just like we do not accommodate his unsporting behaviour in the match. Omoniwari is a first time offender, a new boy on our roll call who needs a helping hand from all and sundry to settle down in his new post.

    “We are human and I think he merely reacted though wrongly to what was an unjust and hard tackle on him. That the match went on despite the vicious tackle, his summary dismissal and resultant goal against his side amounted to enough punishment.

    “The three-match ban is too harsh and overkill that’s why we are appealing to the league body for leniency. We have written to the LMC to help the player return to the pitch by waving off the remainder of the ban,” said Nkwopara to supersport.com.

    If the ban stands, the former Sharks’ hitman will miss the side’s two matches at neighbours Abia Warriors and Warri Wolves.

    Heartland are seventh on the top flight log on 36 points from a possible 72 in the 24-week old league.

  • LMC sanctions Wikki Tourists, Dolphins’ Coach Eguma

    LMC sanctions Wikki Tourists, Dolphins’ Coach Eguma

    Wikki Tourists FC and Dolphins FC coach, Stanley Eguma have  been charged and levied varying sanctions for breaching sections of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)  Framework and Rules by the League Management Company (LMC) in the latest disciplinary decisions announced on Thursday evening following review of reports of Match Day 22.

    Eguma was found guilty of making unfair criticisms against the match referee and officials of Abia Warriors FC and failing to conduct himself in a professional manner by the League Management Company (LMC) which has consequently cautioned him with a fine and a suspended match ban.

    The coach was subsequently ordered to pay a fine of N200, 000 and placed on a suspended two match ban which will automatically come into effect should he commit similar rule breaches in the course of the 2014/15 league season.

    The LMC ruled that based on a similar breach on Match Day 4 for which the coach was fined N100, 000 and suspended for one match; he has been placed on a probation sentence of double the earlier sanction but can choose to accept the ruling or elect to appear before a commission so far he will communicate his choice in writing to the LMC within 48 hours of the notice of summary jurisdiction.

    Wikki Tourists are being sanctioned for unruly conduct of their fans during and after the Match Day 22 fixture against Nasarawa United that saw the fans throwing objects onto the field, harassing the two teams and stoning the vehicle of the visiting team.

    The LMC’s latest disciplinary measures announced by Chief Operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar read, “by virtue of the provisions of article B13.22 (disorder), B13.23 (violent supporters) and B15.16 (club liability for the conduct of its supporters), the Board now intends to exercise its summary jurisdiction and to impose on you the following sanctions.

    “A fine of N500,000, payment of N100,000 as damages to Nasarawa United FC, and playing your next home match (Match Day 24 against Abia Warriors FC on August 19, 2015 behind closed doors (i.e. in the absence of fans)”.

    Abubakar said the LMC is determined to enforce all aspects of the reforms initiated to build a league that meets globally accepted standards and give optimum value to paying fans and commercial partners.

    “We have introduced regulations to make the league safe and attractive to the millions of football loving Nigerians and commercially viable to our investors”, Abubakar said.