Sports News | 6 February 2012 Last updated at 06:00 CET
COURT RULING ON IDENTITY
By NBF News
Bolaji Abdullahi
Sports Minister/Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi, has allayed apprehension raised by football sponsors, assuring that nothing would happen to any sponsorship deal properly documented with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and or the Nigerian Premier League (NPL).
The minister, who gave the assurance during the inauguration of a 13-man Advisory and Coordinating Committee for the London 2012 Olympics, recently maintained that the Federal High Court judgement against the football houses, would not in any way threaten their investments.
In his words: 'Relating to the issue of court ruling against the Nigerian football, I want to use this opportunity to address the issue of apprehensions among sponsors and partners of the football house especially the league body, concerning what would happen to the contractual agreements they signed, in view of the court order.
'I want to assure everyone through the media that any contract properly entered and documented with either NFF or NPL, will be respected regardless of what happens to the institutions concerning the case in court,' he assured.
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Speaking further on the problem ravaging Nigerian football, the Honourable Minister said: 'Remember we held a stakeholders meeting in Lagos recently to discuss the lingering issue, and I can tell you that I'm getting familiar with the situation having been posted to the ministry newly. As I said in that meeting, the problem with Nigerian football is not lack of technical competence, it is not also legal, it is largely political.
'Therefore, since it is political, we will have to find ways to negotiate and bring the warring factions on board. It is not as if we cannot wake up and decide what to do, we have that courage and capacity to it, but we feel it is better to explore peaceful means of resolving it.
'However, if given the reasonable time we set for ourselves, and we were unable to peacefully resolve it in a way to advance Nigerian football, then we will have to explore the alternative arrangement. I can, however, tell you that on daily basis, we are working on the problem and I believe we will soon resolve it,' he assured.
It could be recalled that major sponsors of Nigerian football went up in arms against their beneficiaries, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) for what they termed uncertainty, bad media and unequal leverage and mileage surrounding the existence of football in the country after a Federal High Court in Abuja declared both bodies illegal. The sponsors had asked the National Sports Commission (NSC) to take a categorical position on the issue and re-assure them that their investments are safe. Some of the sponsors, who expressed their views in private sessions based their argument on the second ruling of Justice Okorowa of the Federal High Court, Abuja which ordered for the winding up of NFF and NPL.
Sports Minister/Chairman National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi, has allayed apprehension raised by football sponsors, assuring that nothing would happen to any sponsorship deal properly documented with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and or the Nigerian Premier League (NPL).
The minister, who gave the assurance during the inauguration of a 13-man Advisory and Coordinating Committee for the London 2012 Olympics, recently maintained that the Federal High Court judgement against the football houses, would not in any way threaten their investments.
In his words: 'Relating to the issue of court ruling against the Nigerian football, I want to use this opportunity to address the issue of apprehensions among sponsors and partners of the football house especially the league body, concerning what would happen to the contractual agreements they signed, in view of the court order.
'I want to assure everyone through the media that any contract properly entered and documented with either NFF or NPL, will be respected regardless of what happens to the institutions concerning the case in court,' he assured.
|
Speaking further on the problem ravaging Nigerian football, the Honourable Minister said: 'Remember we held a stakeholders meeting in Lagos recently to discuss the lingering issue, and I can tell you that I'm getting familiar with the situation having been posted to the ministry newly. As I said in that meeting, the problem with Nigerian football is not lack of technical competence, it is not also legal, it is largely political.
'Therefore, since it is political, we will have to find ways to negotiate and bring the warring factions on board. It is not as if we cannot wake up and decide what to do, we have that courage and capacity to it, but we feel it is better to explore peaceful means of resolving it.
'However, if given the reasonable time we set for ourselves, and we were unable to peacefully resolve it in a way to advance Nigerian football, then we will have to explore the alternative arrangement. I can, however, tell you that on daily basis, we are working on the problem and I believe we will soon resolve it,' he assured.
It could be recalled that major sponsors of Nigerian football went up in arms against their beneficiaries, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) for what they termed uncertainty, bad media and unequal leverage and mileage surrounding the existence of football in the country after a Federal High Court in Abuja declared both bodies illegal. The sponsors had asked the National Sports Commission (NSC) to take a categorical position on the issue and re-assure them that their investments are safe. Some of the sponsors, who expressed their views in private sessions based their argument on the second ruling of Justice Okorowa of the Federal High Court, Abuja which ordered for the winding up of NFF and NPL.
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