The Federal Government has condemned its recognition of the League Management Company (LMC) as the Nigeria Professional Football League’s operator (NPFL).
Following the federal government’s declaration of the Shehu Dikko-led League Management Company (LMC) as an illegal body, banning it with immediate effect, a crisis appears to be brewing in Nigerian football.
The federal government also directed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to immediately revoke LMC’s operational license and form an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to oversee the operation of the Nigerian elite league.
The statement, signed by Ismaila Abubakar, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, went on to say that the League should be run by the current Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the LMC until a proper Professional League Board is formed in accordance with the NFF Statutes. This decision was made due to the obvious anomaly (which is contrary to our football statutes or the laws of the land) in which a private company is given the mandate to manage or run the league indefinitely, without the full involvement and leadership of the clubs, and without any process to monitor the game’s progress and development.
“As a result of the foregoing, and in order to save our domestic football from total collapse, the board of the LMC and the LMC as a body will no longer be recognized by the Federal Government as the operator of the Nigerian Professional Football League,” the FG said.
Issuing further order, the federal government noted that; “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 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.”