How can we best describe football in Nigeria where apparently those who deserve to reap the labour are rather being shortchanged or sidelined.
In other circumstances, some football investors are not vastly briefed of the legal implications in setting up a football outfit- so for them, it is more or less an emotional approach and not rational.
However, as a result of this, many are quite ignorant of how they can best protect their investment on players. we might even to start educating them on the need to commercialize football and build it as an investment sphere no matter how small .
One thing that might have really made legal inquiries in football so less pronounced is its exciting and entertaining mode. Many are so carried away and are not alive to the reality of the ever growing economic advantage of football and its investment potentials not to even talk about returns.
Our government at all levels have not seen their intervention or in another context subvention in football as an investment. They only see it as an act of governance but not an institution.
Who is Nasir Jibril ?
Nasir Jibril is the FIFA/TMS Manager in Nigeria. He is the Chief Technical Officer at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
A graduate of International Academy of Sports Administration and Technology, Laussane, Switzerland with in-depth knowledge of players profile management and transfer.
Talking about “the FIFA Transfer Matching System(TMS), it is an online platform for FIFA’s Members’ Associations to record players transfer between clubs. The introduction of the system was approved by the FIFA Congress in 2009 and was made mandatory from 1st October 2010”.
It is noteworthy to bring to fore and beam more searchlight on his latest advice to Academy and Amateur Club owners in the country on how best they can protect their investment on players.
The former Nigeria International recently in an online platform advised that a semi-contract with players will make it easy for a club to gain something whenever a player is engage contractually.
The significance of the semi- contract according to him is meant to authenticate a club ownership of players.
Having had to deal with issues regarding players ownership with his responsibility to guide on the complaints therein, it becomes expedient for Nasir to educate the general public with interest in football, but can he do it alone?.
According to him, “we have various instances where an Academy will bring complain of their players moving to other clubs without recourse to them, and with no compensation whatsoever. But in the actual sense, the players are at liberty to move to any club of their choice since they didn’t sign any professional contracts with the club. Signing of these contracts will entail the clubs paying the players’ salaries that they would use in sustaining themselves. With that, the clubs can lay claim on them anywhere they go.
Although some teams take no serious efforts in paying stipends for players, this is yet another area of concern that we may not be treating here. The focus is for a genuine investors to be guided in their contributions.
By extension, He gave hints on how club can also maximize their investment by sealing partnership with professional clubs that will help in developing the players for future transfer sales.
Football at the grassroot continue to produce players for the Professional outfit to leverage on, it is unfathomable that all the investments; material and technical resources expended on the players is not justified at the end.
CRUSADE
Nasir revealed that from next football season, no local transfer can be effected without going through the DTMS. He said that efforts are on by FIFA to have a FIFA CONNECT where data of all players including Academies and Amateur clubs would be captured for future references
The fact that Nasir Jibril can’t do it alone present the urgent need for a wider education and orientation of clubs so as to key into this initiative as it will not only gurantee their investment but also aid a meaningful return.
PARTNERSHIP
Professional Clubs in Nigeria need to be more accommodating of grassroot teams. Apart from the benefits, such relationship will inspire many other development to the grassroot football- it is more or less a win-win situation.
It will also create a value chain of players development and open more windows of opportunity for exploration.
With the purpose of the TMS aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and governance between clubs and football associations, this is an initiative that needs to be promoted by football governing bodies here in Nigeria in order entrench the best of football management.
Its adoption will reduce the long standing administrative bottle neck in football administrations as regards players ownership.
It is important that teams also register and affiliate with Football Association in their jurisdiction. The affiliation does establish their recognition under the law governing football and in turn bear them credence in any ownership claims on player in case of any eventualities.
The standard of players ownership
will sufficiently create an identification purpose for teams and individuals to help them secure more meaningful transfer for their players.