NPL to streamline deals of players, officials

In a bid to make sure that contracts involving players and officials of the 20 clubs competing in the top-flight do not cause ripples in future, the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has devised an arrangement to facilitate easy verification of such deals.

Chairman of the Premier League, Davidson Owumi, revealed that the plan is to make sure that any contract signed between a club and player or official will be duplicated in four ways but with same content of such deal.

He explained that the contracts of players and officials will be deposited at the secretariats of the Premier League and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Owumi added that the third and fourth copies of such contracts will be with the clubs and the player or official accordingly.

“We want to forestall a situation of unverified debts in the Nigeria Premier League which is becoming rampant. We are concerned about this issue and want to fashion out a simple way out to ensure that every contract involving players and officials are documented to the last item.

“So by doing this I believe we will have minimal situations of players and officials accusing clubs without evidence to proof a handful of debts like what we have now. As much as the NPL frowns at debtor clubs, we want to enlighten the players and officials to ensure that they toe the proper line of ensuring that they sign a proper contract with documents to back such up, which will allow their case or cases before the arbitration panel easy to access,” said Owumi.

The NPL chief further advised that players and officials should ensure that they get and keep copies of payment vouchers relating to their contracts with their employers in the case of part-payment.

“The Nigeria Premier League will continue to seek ways to correct the issue of welfare of players and officials in the league. Without these players, we will not have a league to administer to. So we are advising them (the players and officials) to always have photocopies of payment vouchers made by their clubs to them. It will make it easy to verify any debt in the event of a dispute,” said Owumi.

The former Enugu Rangers’ CEO also called on the clubs to adhere to the rules governing the contract of players and officials so as to forestall situations whereby players or officials hold them to ransom.

“Issues of mischief from players or officials can arise at times in contract dispute, but it is the clubs that can avoid these things from happening to them. If there are documents of such contract lodged with the NFF, the NPL and then with the club and the person involved it will be difficult to falsify the amount involved,” said the Premier League boss.