NPFL 2023: ‘Clubs cannot dictate to Interim Management Committee’ – Idris Adama

Former Nigeria Football Federation director of marketing, Idris Adama insists that the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clubs cannot dictate league format to the Interim Management Committee (IMC).

The NPFL resumption is faced by uncertainty following the decision of club representives under the aiges of Club Owners to boycott the activities of the IMC in disaggrement with the proposed abridged league format for the season.

And Adama believes that the league is the property of the NFF, advices the clubs participating in the NPFL must adhere strictly to the directives of  the IMC, who organises the league in trust for the nation’s football body.

“The issue of straight or abridged league does not rest with the IMC. The club owners or chairmen as the case may be, by their position should know that the league is the property of Nigeria Football Federation whose power, the IMC is mandated to organize the league and therefore the club owners cannot dictate to the NFF the format of the  league to adopt,” Adama told TotoriNews.

“You cannot be a partaker and at the same time be an organiser. It  is never done anywhere. The decision by the clubs against the abridged league is not about the interest of Nigerians, it is about their  personal selfish interest.

“The straight league needs more money because there are more matches to be played from their owners or maybe IMC is not adopting the Father Christmas attitude of the former LMC otherwise how can the club owners say they are not interested in continental participation of Nigerian clubs.

“It is absurd for them to reason that when the continental competition starts, the first three clubs on the table should represent Nigeria, that is awful that is never done, that is not how league should be managed.

“I think they should know their limitations, have they even met the club licensing  bench mark ? I doubt if they have , they should first of all get that right before talking about participating in the league because first thing first out,  they need to get that one right and put their  house in order.

“As it is, they don’t  have any case with IMC ,their case should be directed  to NFF  that  is how it is , they are being guided by FIFA status and whatever activities we have with football in this country is guided by FIFA status , what does the FIFA status say, the league property belongs to NFF and they have given approval to the IMC to organise the league on behalf of NFF.

“So, if they are issues arising from the organisation of the league that is not in the interest of the clubs, they should direct their case to NFF and they should never undermine the office of the NFF President.

“What makes them to think that the NFF President Musa Gusau has no power to give directives to the IMC. Gusau is the absolute authority as far as Nigeria Football is concerned, he is like the FIFA  President  to Nigeria that is what it is.

“So, if you are  not ready to take instruction  from him or authority wise, then you step aside. You are not being forced to participate in the league. I think the IMC  even if they have 10 clubs, they should just go ahead with the commencement of the  league and heaven will not fall.”