By Aiwu Esele
Right: Mr Sunday Dare, Minister of Youths and Sports
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, Rivers State Chapter, has waded into the lingering face-off between the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, and Rivers United Football club and called on the Minister of Youths and Sports, Mr Sundar Dare to intervene.
The NFF had taken a decision on the final Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL, 2019/2020 table, which the Rivers United disagreed with and took their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports ,CAS, .
The NFF had earlier ruled that Plateau United and Enyimba of Aba would represent Nigeria in the CAF competitions going by its calculations using the Point Per Game (PPG) system.
That did not go down well with Rivers United, which insists that, from whatever system used, they remain on the second spot on the standings.
The team insisted that they ended the 2019/2020 NPFL season as the second-best team and deserve the second CAF Champions League slot behind Plateau United, which ended as a top team when the competition was abruptly called off because of the coronavirus outbreak.
But the NFF has insisted on its decision as final, stating that it has the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and world football governing body, FIFA, on the matter.
The Rivers SWAN has said, “Rivers United football Club/Rivers State Government deserves to be treated better by NFF/LMC, especially in the application of the statute outlined measures of how to grapple with Force Majeure situations, just as the unforeseen pandemic turned out to be.
According to Chukwudi Ejimofor, its Secretary, in a signed statement, “Rivers State, over the years, has been a hospitable home for various sporting authorities and agencies, particularly so to the NFF under the leadership of the present governor, Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, whose efforts in sports promotion have met with high recognition as the “Power of Sports Africa” with veritable ability to contribute more to sports development in the country.
“We, therefore, believe that Rivers state deserves and should be treated better, despite any mistake that might have been made in the cross-fire.
“On this note, we advise the NFF/LMC to thread cautiously and not drop any sledgehammer on Rivers United Football Club as an outcome of a slight misunderstanding between two partners in progress and so plead with the Hon. Minister of Sports, Hon Sunday Dare to prevail in both sides to sheathe their swords.
They called for the intervention of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare to “save further brickbats and any possibility of the 2020/2021 NPFL season kick-off from being on hold, in view of the Rivers State Government’s decision to head to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for their interpretation of the situation in Nigeria’s football. Time is of essence here!”
