LMC lacks powers to sack Nembe, Giwa FC -Club Owners

Another round of conflict that would halt the one week old Glo Nigeria Premier League is rearing its head as officials of the 20 premier league clubs have kicked against the ban on two of the clubs from participating in this year’s season by the league’s organizing body, the League management Company (LMC).
Giwa FC and Nembe City FC were both axed from participating in this year’s league for their failure to comply with registration requirements, particularly the N150, 000 minimum wage requirement set by the LMC for clubs to pay all players playing in the nation’s apex football league.
But the secretary of the Club Owners Association, Alloy Chukwuemeka declared yesterday that the league governing body do not have the legal backing to sack the two clubs from participating in the Glo Nigeria Premier League.
According to Chukwuemeka, the decision by the body was beyond its powers, as only the NFF has powers to take such decisions on football matters in the country.
He said the LMC was in a hurry in taking the decision, stressing that the exclusive powers to relegate, promote, dismiss, exclude and suspend any team from any cadre of the leagues in Nigeria resides with the NFF.
He added that what the LMC should have done was to make recommendation to the NFF for action, not rushing to the media to announce their exclusion, amounts to usurping the powers of the NFF/AGA.
It will be recalled that the executive members of the Club Owners Association held a meeting with the two clubs yesterday show their solidarity and fins the way forward for the league.
Meanwhile the LMC yesterday stated that the decision to exclude the two clubs is in line in with Article 1.5 where the conditions for registration are spelt out.
According to the body, article 1.5(1) states that all clubs that are affiliated and registered and have satisfied all the conditions for participation as outlined in Article 1.4, voluntarily put themselves under obligation to unconditionally abide by the League Rules and Regulations, and Statutes of NPL.
Sub section 1.5(2) further states that notwithstanding the constitutional rights of clubs, players, supporters clubs, sports bodies, etc to seek redress in Court of Law, upon affiliation to NPL and registration for the league season, the above mentioned are deemed to have voluntarily renounced their rights to litigate over football matters.