NFF Sets Up Committee On Rangers, Warri Wolves’ Dispute

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday in Abuja inaugurated a committee to liaise with the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) to ascertain between Enugu Rangers and Warri Wolves the true owners of Super Eagles duo, Sunday Mba and Chigozie Agbim.

The two clubs have been fighting over the ownership of the players, whose ratings blossomed with their participation in the just concluded South Africa 2013 CAF Nations Cup.

Disclosing the inauguration of the committee to journalists in Abuja, NFF President, Aminu Maigari said the decision to find out the true owners of the players became necessary because the federation would not sit down and allow the two clubs ruin the future of the two players.

He revealed that the committee, which is expected to commence work today, would work with officials of the NPL to examine the claims of the two clubs on the players.

“We believe the NPL is part of the whole case because it deals directly with the two clubs and the players as well. We expect them to tell us the true position. The committee will commence work tomorrow (today) because I just inaugurated them to start up the process,” he said.

Meanwhile, Maigari has reminded the board of the Nigeria Nationwide League of the task ahead of it as it begins its congress in Abuja to herald the kick of the 2012/2013 NNWL season.

While insisting that NNWL can put its house in order to produce more stars for the various clubs and national teams, the NFF president, however, reminded the board that the league would not succeed if it failed to attract sponsors for its programmes.

“This is just to draw your attention to the many challenges your league has. Of course, you are the greatest league that we have in Nigeria, considering the number of clubs that are involved in the Nationwide League. With over 300 clubs in Nigeria, your expectations will be high. So we want to challenge you to discover and produce stars for the use of the higher leagues in the country and beyond.

“We want to see you produce more Sunday Mbas, Oboabonas, Omeruos, Ogenyi Onazis and quite a number of them. We at the NFF will never relent in supporting you.

“Let me also urge you to touch a few areas, like money. Money does not come easily to football. It cannot come while you are folding our arms. You have to be up and doing, you must collaborate with the NFF to support you in driving the process of sponsorship.

“The respect, which Nigeria enjoys today in football worldwide is because we have the products of the Nationwide League that have matured into the bigger leagues in the country and other countries.

“ We have the opportunity to produce more stars from the Nationwide League and be proud to say these are the stars we have produced from the various leagues,” Maigari charged the board.