Enyimba To Abolish Sign-On Fee

Chairman, Enyimba FC of Aba, Felix Anyansi Agwu, has said  that the club was planning to abolish sign-on fees for players, to further instil sanity into the team.

“I am thinking of its implementation, so that new players would have to conform to what we are offering,’’ Anyansi told newsmen in an interview in Aba.

He, however, assured that the players would be well motivated and their salaries paid to them as and when due, once the policy comes into effect.

“Of course, their salaries are being paid regularly, to serve as a motivation; any act that is detrimental to the club’s rules and regulations will attract a salary cut,’’ he said.

The chairman berated the sign-on fees phenomenon which he described as a distraction for the country’s football clubs and their players.

“The thought of being owed a backlog of sign-on fees running into millions of naira usually distracts players from doing their best, which also affects the day-to-day running of clubs.

“So we feel it is a problem, not just for players of Enyimba FC; it is the same for all clubsides in the country and I think we are going to tackle it and Nigerian football will certainly turn around for the better,’’ he said.

Anyasi-Agwu stressed that the welfare of the club’s players was of paramount interest to the management and no efforts would be spared to sustain the interests of the club.

“The state government has really done a lot to promote football in Abia and in Nigeria as a whole, but it doesn’t mean that individuals could walk out of their jobs once challenges arise.