Dikko: Players have themselves to blame if they are owed

Shehu Dikko, the chairman, League Management Company (LMC), has advised players to understand and defend their rights especially in terms of payment of salaries.

In an interview with TheCable, Dikko, who is also the second vice chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), said the LMC discourages clubs from trampling on the rights of players, but the onus is on players to protect themselves by following the laid-down legal rules and regulations in the statute.

“There’s no player who is being forced to play for any club. The contract that a player signs has provision that if you are not paid for more than 30 days, you have an option to write to the club, give them 14 days notice (to say) if you don’t pay, I will want to terminate my contract. And you can terminate the contract and go for free. If you go for free, they will still have to come and pay you the money,” he said.

Dikko said only a player can be blamed for choosing to remain in a club that pays no salary for about seven months, since it is within the player’s right to terminate such a contract.

“If you are a good player, the club will never let you to leave. As long as you are a good player, you will find another club the next day,” Dikko said.

Dikko added that players’ rights are already guaranteed.

“You see, the players’ rights have already been protected. If you are willing to stay as long as they are owing you, its your own cup of tea,” he said.

“It means you will have to be patient with the club to pay you because you must have realized that the club wants to pay you but money from the government is not available.”

He advised players to read contracts before they are signed or get intermediaries to represent them.

“Players don’t have the competence to negotiate contracts or to follow up on contracts. That’s why FIFA made it open. Anybody can represent a player. So, long you can read, you can write and you have not been convicted of any offence,” he said.

“If you don’t trust anybody, you can use your family member, your father, your mother can represent you.  They deal with the issue of finance, while you (player) deal with the issue on the pitch of play.”

Dikko said a situation where players are with club even after the expiration of contract happens because players dabbled into a contract without good representation.