Plateau United players and their coaches have been placed on half salary by the club’s hierarchy following their 1-0 home defeat to Kada City in a NPFL matchday-10 encounter at the New Jos Stadium on Wednesday, reports Completesports.com.
It was the Jos club’s first home loss in three years in the Nigeria Professional Football League.
Sadiq Suleiman netted the winning goal for the Kaduna-based Kada City nine minutes from time in the game.
According to a release by media officer of the former NPFL champions, Albert Yakup made available to Completesports.com, the players and the technical crew will not receive their full pay until the fortunes of the club improve.
General Manager of the Club, Pius Henwan who made the management position known to the team, said the decision became necessary in view of the manner of the home loss on Matchday-10 against visiting side Kada City which is unacceptable to the government and people of Plateau State.
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Henwan who expressed displeasure with the lacklustre performance of the team during the midweek tie noted that the measures will remain until the team get the three points they lost at home from an away game.
He further explained that for the management to take them seriously, they must win their next match against Abia Warriors in Umuahia or at least a draw in order to recoup the lost points.
The defeat came on the team’s return to their home ground in Jos after serving a three-game banishment sentence away in Ilorin and Lafia following crowd troubles that marred their opening league game against FC Ifeanyiubah.
Wednesday’s game marked the return to the dugout of head coach Abdu Maikaba who had been away with Nigeria Under-20 side, the Flying Eagles in Niger in an assistant capacity to Paul Aigbogun.
Plateau United’s next travel to Umuahia where they will face Abia Warriors in a matchday-11 encounter next week Wednesday.
By Adeboye Amosu
4 Comments
My country Nigeria.
In any other country this would be illegal and could be grounds for breach of contract. I’m interested to know what the NPFL rules and framework states about restricting a players pay. We have seen many NPFL players being able to successfully leave a club because the clubs have not paid them for some months and the League Management Co has supported them with this. One home loss and they take this draconian step, this is inhuman treatment and will only be counter productive.
What is with Plateau United and the entire football structure?? The Sports minister is from Plateau state and he has spent his entire tenure undermining the NFF. Chris Giwa is from plateau State and has constantly hounded our football officials and been a never ending distraction. The fans have by their actions of beating up football referees at home games, succeeded in banishing the team to Ilorin for their home games. And now the club hierarchy is placing all technical staff and players on 50% of their wages because of ONE RESULT.
Its no way to run a football club or to manage football
I don’t even understand. Are they allowed to do that? So NFF cannot protect the interest of professional players and coaches? Is there no body of professional football players in Nigeria to protest such abnormality? I’m confused.
I’m just wondering if this kind of news was in the EPL. Klopp was just fined almost N6.5 million for criticising a ref in a Liverpool match against West Ham. Lol.
There is an NPFL players Union (National Association of Nigerian Professional Footballers (NANPF) ) which usually will take up cases like this.
Usually they are on the ball. What they will normally do is alert the league management company to sanction the club in cases of indebtedness to players.