No progress in resolving Nigerian football disputes through ADR — Jalla

Harrison Jalla, a representative of players union, on Tuesday in Abuja said there has been no progress in settling the dispute between the body and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Jalla, who is Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) Task Force, said the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism being adopted had not produced any result so far.

Supreme reports that the players union are advocating equal representation for all the five statutory bodies that make up the NFF Congress.

This is as it relates to voting rights and representation on the Federation’s Executive Committee.

PFAN had gone to court to ask for an amendment of the 2010 NFF Statutes.

This had led to Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Sept. 15 stopping the 2022 NFF Elections slated for Benin on Sept. 30.

Following its dissatisfaction with the order, the NFF approached the Appellate Court to file an application to set the order aside.

The NFF would later go ahead to hold its elective congress on Sept. 30 in Benin, which produced Ibrahim Gusau as the new president of the Federation.

Supreme also reports that an ADR process was later initiated by the Appellants, with the first sitting taking place on Oct. 5 in Abuja.

Jalla however said that no progress had been made so far with the ADR.

“As at today, the PFAN task force can report that no progress has been made on the ADR.

“After the Dec. 6 meeting between the NFF and the PFAN Task Force, there has been no meeting so far to deliberate on issues before the Abuja Division of the Appeal Court,” he said.

Jalla however assured that all active and retired Nigerian footballers worldwide were able, willing and ready to cooperate with Gusau to reposition Nigerian football.

“We are willing and ready to work with Gusau, having seen the dynamism he has exhibited in his short spell in office which is a complete departure from the terrible state of Nigerian football in the last eight years.

“But this position cannot be at the expense of the exclusion of the footballers bloc and other critical stakeholders from football administration in Nigeria.”

He added that the President of PFAN, Tijani Babangida, had along this line set up a peace committee under the leadership of PFAN’s First Vice-President Clement Temile.

Jalla said the committee has the mandate to recall aggrieved members and unify the PFAN family.

“It is therefore imperative for the ADR to urgently meet to resolve outstanding issues in court.

“These are particularly the issues that bother on fair and equal representation on the NFF Executive Committee, Congress and sub-committees ahead of Jan. 25, which is the next hearing date in court.

“As the popular saying goes, ‘a stich in time saves nine’.”

Jalla stated that the PFAN Task Force would continue to assure all active and retired Nigerian footballers worldwide that there was no alternative to reforms in Nigerian football.

“That the monopoly of the state Football Association chairmen who have grossly retarded the growth of Nigerian football is being confronted frontally by the PFAN Task Force and must be broken,” he said.