By CHIMAOBI UCHENDU
It is not raining at the new Interim Management Committee, managers of the Nigeria Professional Football League. It is pouring, as everything that could go wrong with an organisation is now hitting them like a thunder bolt.
From all indications, it is apparent that the 2022/23 football season would be played more in the court rooms than the lush green pitches.
This first sign of discord in the football house is the glaring confrontation between the so-called club owners who are poised to snuff life out of the IMC from birth over the proposed abridged football season. This may scuttle the much hyped December 28 draw in Abuja and the January 8, 2023 take-off date.
According to a reliable source, the rift between the club owners and IMC is being sponsored by a member of the sacked LMC who, according to report, is fighting tooth and nail to cover up for the humongous malfeasance perpetrated by the illegal LMC. The Crest scoops that the disgruntled former football administration is hell bent in frustrating the Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye-led IMC after he allegedly sponsored a media attack spreading fake news that the sports minister, Sunday Dare created the body so as to bring back the holder of the title and television rights.
The NPFL has not been on TV and has also been without title sponsors for several seasons, but the IMC might be in for a legal battle over these rights if parties involved in the existing debacle have not been consulted for a proper resolution of the rights ownership of the league.
The IMC is said to have opened discussions with MultiChoice to get SuperSports to broadcast the league to the international audience. But an insider said the litany of litigation against the NPFL and the ones that will follow if they failed to do the right negotiations which may scuttle the commencement of the league this season.
From Globacom to Total Promotions, SuperSport, Next TV and then Red Strike; there has been a long debacle over title and TV rights of the NPFL, with court injunctions, which scared potential investors from investing in the league. Some of the above-mentioned firms pulled out of their deals with the NPFL to avoid the legal battles and drama.
As it stands, Total Promotions, the rightful owners of the broadcast rights of the league, has said that any other move by the IMC for new broadcasters of the league might be resisted by the company via the court of law.
There’s an ongoing case in the Lagos High Court with Suit No. LD/997/2017 between Total Promotions and the Nigeria Football League Limited/LMC, with the latter the defendants.
After the IMC meeting with the NTA, our correspondent learnt Total Promotions wrote to both parties, warning them of the legal implications of broadcasting the league, while it still had the title and broadcast rights.
In the letter titled ‘Buyers Beware!’ and dated November 8, 2022, which was addressed to the Director-General of NTA, Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos, Total Promotions owner Niyi Alonge warned the television station against broadcasting the league.
“Please be informed that following the ongoing court tussle in Lagos High Court in Suit No: LD/997/2013 between Total Promotions Limited (claimant), Nigeria Football League Limited/League Management Company (defendants), the court ordered an interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants from interfering in any way with the performance of broadcast rights contract between the claimant and defendants,” the statement read in part.
“You (NTA) will therefore be well advised not to proceed with any further act that will amount to disregard of court judgments, including Supreme Court judgements as attached. NTA’s attempt to get involved in this matter of broadcast rights shall be viewed as contemptuous of judgements of the court, including that of the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land. Also, given the appeal by the LMC, that further makes the matter very subjudice. You (NTA) have been put on notice.”
The Crest can also reveal that the sacked Shehu Dikko-led LMC has concluded arrangement to unleash the mother-of-all legal battles against the Sports Ministry which did not create the LMC but yet sacked the body in a terse memo sent to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF that established the body and granted it a hundred year licence.
But a follower of the NPFL doubts if Dikko has the gut, character and liver to challenge the ministry over his sack saying that the foundation of Nigeria’s football since the change of name from NFA to NFF by the Alhaji Sani Lulu FA has been built on illegality.
The source added that if the title and broadcast rights are not resolved amicable it may lead to an explosion that will y rock the foundation of football in the country.
