The board of the League Management Company is ready to have discussions with the sports ministry and the Nigeria Football Federation after the former said the Federal Government had withdrawn its backing for the league body.
The ministry had on Friday said that the Federal Government regarded the LMC as an illegal body following a court ruling and recommended to the NFF to form an interim body to manage the Nigeria Professional Football League.
“The LMC Ltd wishes to call for calm from all its participating clubs, sponsors and partners and stakeholders as it will in conjunction with NFF be engaging the FMYSD to provide clarifications to ensure all parties are on the same page and keep acting within the realm of its authority,” the LMC said in an official statement today.
“Fundamentally, the protection of the integrity of the NPFL which the LMC Ltd has been toiling over the last decade to build in spite of the challenges is most paramount at all times.”
It said the statement was only being issued for the sake of good order, stability of the NPFL and the participating clubs, the LMC’s current and potential sponsors to clarify and set the records straight.
The LMC board also expressed distress that the sports ministry took the public position without first engaging the league body and the NFF to discuss any concerns.
“It is LMC’s belief that had this simple fundamental procedure and legal step of fair hearing been done, there would
have absolutely been no need or basis for the FMYSD position,” the statement added.
“There is absolutely no court order or proceedings declaring the LMC as illegal. Likewise, there is no challenge in any court to the legal status of LMC.
“For the avoidance of doubt, LMC Ltd was duly and properly formed in 2013 with all due processes adhered to and in line with both football laws/regulations and Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Laws (Companies and Allied Matters, Act – CAC Act).
“The participating clubs of the NPFL were part and parcel of these processes in line with the stipulations of the NFF Statutes (article 18 of the NFF Statutes)”.
It added: “The LMC Ltd Supplementary Regulations (Governance Structure) was agreed with the NPFL clubs in accordance with the NFF Statutes on 6th September 2013, and duly filed at the CAC with CAC approval appropriately issued on 2nd June 2014
“Subsequently, the NFF Executive Committees at its meeting of 8th October 2014 in Abuja and the NFF Congress (the Supreme Legislative body of the NFF) at its meeting of 23rd November 2014 in Lagos duly approved the LMC Supplementary Regulations/Governing Structure pursuant to the powers vested on the Congress under the NFF Statutes (article 18 and article 78 subsection 2 and 3) as well as FIFA Statutes (articles 17 and 18) to delegate the right to an independent/subordinate body to manage/ organise its competitions (NPFL inclusive) and to make regulations and or approved regulations for the management of the domestic leagues.”
The statement submitted that it is based on the above compliance with football and legal regulations that it remains clear that the LMC Ltd was properly set up with the full engagement of the NFF and the participating NPFL clubs and in full compliance with the extant football Laws (articles 18 and 78 of the NFF Statutes and 17 and 18 of FIFA Statutes with full approval of NPFL Clubs, NFF
Executive Committee, NFF Congress and also the corporate laws/regulations of Nigeria (CAC Act) with the full
approval of the Corporate Affairs Commission.
It went on to clarify that the LMC Ltd is not a private body.
“Thethe LMC Ltd is not a private body as has been misrepresented but a not-for-profit company duly formed
by the NFF and the participating NPFL clubs in accordance with their powers as enshrined in the extant NFF Statutes,” it explained.
“The NFF holds the golden shares in LMC Ltd with specific responsibilities and veto powers on the operations and organisation of the NPFL, while the other shares are held for and on behalf of the NPFL participating clubs. All shares in the LMC Ltd are nominal as the entire revenue of the NPFL is for the operations and running of the NPFL and distribution to the participating clubs in line with the distribution formula agreed
with the clubs.”
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