A group of 66 former players of Nasarawa United Football Club (FC) appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to act fast on their letter of intervention over unpaid N271 million salaries and allowances.
The spokesman of the group, Uba Isa-Doma, who made the appeal in Lokoja, said, “We played for the club between 2008 and 2013, five seasons in a row. We, 66 former players of Nasarawa United FC, are starving and suffering because the Nasarawa government, which owns the club, has refused to pay our accumulated unpaid salaries and allowances amounting to N270.7 million.”
He added, “NFF is not ready to assist us. So we have to brief a lawyer in Jos, Mr Niri Darong, who on February 14 wrote a formal letter to CAF requesting their intervention towards the payment of our sweat.”
Isa-Doma described as “very unfortunate” and “frustrating” the absence of an NFF Arbitration Committee, which could adjudicate between aggrieved players and their football clubs.
“For three years now, that arbitration committee is lacking, which makes it difficult for us to report Nasarawa United FC over our N271 million unpaid salaries and allowances to NFF but has to turn to CAF for help,” he added.
In the first letter to CAF, dated February 14, the players claimed that on October 16, 2020, they filed an arbitration before Players Welfare and Arbitration Committee, but to date, nothing was done.
“Our clients have instructed us to write to you (CAF) to intervene in the said matter as they (players) have resorted to their savings and even borrowing money to take care of themselves and their families,” added the letter. “By this, we call on you (CAF) to immediately intervene to stop our clients and their dependents from imminent starvation by taking the appropriate action for the payment of the unpaid entitlements without delay.”
On March 16, the players wrote a reminder to CAF, begging for its quick response to their earlier letter and “right the wrongs and injustice being meted out to them.”
The letter stated, “We are depending on your good office to right the wrongs done to us by our former club, Nasarawa United FC and Nasarawa State Government, regarding our unpaid salaries and allowances amounting to N271 million.”
(NAN)