JUST-IN: Federal Govt Declares Professional Football League Body, LMC, Illegal

The Federal Government has declared the League Management Company (LMC), operator of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) illegal and directed the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to withdraw operational licence given to the company immediately and set up an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to run the league.

The permanent secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ismaila Abubakar, made the pronouncement in a statement released on Friday morning in Abuja.

Abubakar said the decision has become necessary because of the obvious aberration which is at variance with NFF statutes or the laws of the land whereby a private company is gifted the mandate to manage or run the league without the full involvement of and leadership by the clubs, and devoid of any process to monitor the progress and development of the game.

“In view of the several unpleasant incidents regarding the management of the Football League, specifically, the declaration of the National Football League (NFL) as an illegal body by the Court; the status of the League Management Company (LMC), the NFL’s successor-in-title being outside the purview of the Statutes of the NFF; the Federal Government is constrained to withdraw its recognition of the LMC as the operator of the Nigeria Professional Football League, with immediate effect.

“This decision has become necessary because of the obvious aberration (which is at variance with our football statutes or the laws of the land) whereby a private company is GIFTED the mandate to manage or run the league indefinitely, without the full involvement of and leadership by the clubs, and devoid of any process to monitor the progress and development of the game.

“Sequel to the above, and in order to rescue our domestic football from total collapse, the BOARD OF THE LMC AND THE LMC AS A BODY WOULD NO LONGER BE RECOGNISED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS OPERATOR OF THE NIGERIAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE.

“To avert further chaos in our domestic football, the NFF is advised to immediately withdraw the Licence given to the LMC and, in the meantime, set up an Interim Management Committee (IMC), to include the current Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the LMC to oversee the affairs of the League until a proper Professional League Board is constituted in accordance with the Statutes of the NFF,” the statement stated.