By Gracious Akujobi Executive Secretary of Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria (APFON), Austin Popo, says League Management Company’s (LMC) decision to scrap sign of fees for players is a welcome development.
Popo, an ex-international told Prompt News Online that the body he represents approved of the minimum wage for players as it will bring some form of stability in the players remuneration.
“It is a welcome development. It is wisdom from the LMC because they are trying to ensure that players are not being owed,” Popo says.
He says that in as much as these measures have been put in place, he advocates that players must use the services of players’ agent to help them with their various contracts.
“The players’ contract is very complex with provisions and clauses which some of these players at their level cannot comprehend.
“So when you talk about enhancement of salaries, that is just one aspect of ensuring that players get their right.
“Even with these regulations clubs will still try to short change the players. It is a welcome development no doubt but there are still loop holes.
“One of the ways we can pluck these loop holes is to make sure that compulsorily players’ agents are engaged when it comes to the issue of negotiation and transfer of players”.
On what would be his association’s role to making sure that players are not intimidated by clubs to collect anything less than the approved sign on fees he said, “The only way we can stop the players from collecting anything less is to create advocacy programmes to sensitise them.
“The poverty level is also a contributory factor to our players falling prey to the antics of the club as the clubs threaten their places in the clubs by making them sign for less the agreed amount”
He decried a situation whereby clubs prevent players from honoring their invitation when they call them for seminars but says he is however optimistic that with the new wind of change from the LMC things will turn around for the better.
Popo also hopes the institutions responsible for the governance of football will begin to work closely with players’ union so that they can have consensus and be able to plan strategies that can effectively address some of these burning issues.
