Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side, Kwara United have sacked 22 players while being faced with a N196 million sign-on fees owed ex-players accrued from the 2014/2015 league season
The ‘Afonja Warriors’ who barely escaped relegation last season have decided to boost their squad by sacking and recruiting new players.
In a media chat with reporters in Ilorin, the General Manager of Kwara United, Bashir Badawiy, revealed that 23 players have been signed to fortify the team ahead of next season, following the sack of 22 players.
The General Manager said they have signed Abayomi Samuel from 3SC, and Jimi Iteji from Plateau United. They also signed Kazeem Badmus, Adamu Abubakar and Ifeanyi Ogba from NPFL champions, Enugu Rangers.
He said: “Our expectation in the 2024/25 NPFL season is to finish among the top three clubs, we don’t want to struggle again; check our records in the last two seasons, we were among the top four and even qualified for continental.”
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In the same vein, the Ilorin-based club are expected to pay out about 191 million naira to a group of players who were sacked from the club with unpaid entitlements.
A letter dated July 11, 2024, titled ‘Demand for outstanding sign-on fees payment of erstwhile players and officials from 2014/15 till date’, sent to Kwara United by the group’s legal counsel, Exact Legal Associates, revealed that the club paid just N5 million of the initial N196 million debt.
The legal counsel has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Kwara United to pay the remaining amount owed to the group of players. If the Ilorin-based club fails to meet up with the ultimatum, the legal counsel plans to take the case to the Nigeria Football Federation and the world football governing body, FIFA.
In reaction to the threat from the sacked group of players, the club issued a statement signed by Ayodeji Ismail, Media Officer claiming that the club’s chairman is engaging relevant authorities intending to clear the debt.
The statement reads in parts: “Club management is a continuum and we are looking towards solving the problem.”
“We are aware of your (ex-players) unfortunate situation and we believe our sports-loving and workaholic Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, will sort the issues very soon,” the statement said.
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