FG orders NFF to withdraw LMC licence, declares firm illegal

The Federal Government has declared the League Management Company (LMC) operator of the Nigeria Professional Football League as illegal.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ismaila Abubakar, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

The LMC is the body licenced with the management and promotion of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

Abubakar said that the decision takes immediate effect after consideration of some outlaw activities the body has engaged in, and “specifically, the declaration of the National Football League (NFL) as an illegal body by the Court.”

According to the ministry, it is an “aberration” for a private company to manager or run the league indefinitely.

He directed the NFF to withdraw the license given to the body, and immediately set up an interim management to oversee the league.

The statement read in part, “This decision has become necessary because of the obvious aberration (which is at variance with our football statutes or the laws of the land) whereby a private company is gifted the mandate to manage or run the league indefinitely, without the full involvement of and leadership by the clubs, and devoid of any process to monitor the progress and development of the game,” the statement said.

“Sequel to the above, and in order to rescue our domestic football from total collapse, the Board of the LMC and the LMC as a body would no longer be recognised by the Federal Government as operator of the Nigerian Professional Football League.

“To avert further chaos in our domestic football, the NFF is advised to immediately withdraw the licence given to the LMC and, in the meantime, set up an Interim Management Committee (IMC), to include the current Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the LMC to oversee the affairs of the league until a proper Professional League Board is constituted in accordance with the statutes of the NFF.”