CAS never ordered Okpala’s reinstatement, says NFF

Musa Amadu, the secretary general of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has disclosed that the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) had not ordered the reinstatement of Sylvanus Okpala as Super Eagles assistant coach.

Okpala was dismissed from the coaching crew of the senior national team after the Super Eagles won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa by the Aminu Maigari-led board of the NFF, claiming that there was need to downsize the Eagles’ backroom staff.

The former Green Eagles player dragged the board of the NFF to CAS for violating terms of his engagement with them and got judgment which ordered the federation to pay him all his outstanding salaries up to the time he was relieved of his job.

Okpala was on Thursday seen at the NFF secretariat and Amadu spoke on what transpired between them and the coach.

“If the meeting was on his return, he would have been meeting with the technical committee,” he told NAN.

“There is no such instruction that he be reinstated; I must say it to you. If there is such instruction we will tell Nigerians. One thing I want you to understand is that you can’t force unwilling servant on an unwilling master.

“There is no such law anywhere in the world. You can’t force somebody and say he must work with this person, it’s not possible. This was not part of CAS judgment and he didn’t even ask for it because obviously his lawyer might have advised him accordingly.”

He said that the football house had already started the implementation of the court judgment.

“We discussed issues of mutual interest particularly as it affects the redemption of his monies as awarded by CAS.

“Everything is going on fine; we have agreed on how the payment will be made on an instalment basis.

“Obviously he (Okpala) came to show appreciation to the fact that the football house is abiding by the agreement we had in principle which is being implemented.

“The matter with Okpala has been settled. The football house had abided by the agreement we had with him in principle and he just came to show us his appreciation.

“He is a member of Nigeria football family and he is always welcome.”

Okpala, however, was in no welcoming mood as he declined to comment on the issue when approached by reporters.