With the 2025/2026 football season set to commence later this month, the National Association of Nigerian Professional Footballers (NANPF) has urged the Nigeria Football Federation Players’ Status and Arbitration Committee (NFF-PSAC) to urgently resolve more than 100 pending contractual disputes involving domestic league players.
The cases, according to the union, include allegations of illegal contract terminations, unpaid salaries, delayed transfer fee payments, and the withholding of players’ clearances.
NANPF warned that these unresolved issues pose a serious threat to players’ livelihoods and the credibility of the Nigerian league system.
NANPF President and former Super Eagles midfielder, Sunday Abe, raised the alarm in Abuja during a media briefing, stressing that the backlog must be addressed before the season kicks off.
He noted that failure to act could derail the careers of many players, undermine the integrity of the competition, and damage public trust in the league’s administration.
While acknowledging the past interventions of the NFF-PSAC, the union insisted that swift action was now crucial to restore confidence in the dispute resolution process.
It argued that clearing the backlog would promote professionalism, ensure fair treatment for players, and encourage transparency among clubs and league managers.
The players’ union reaffirmed its commitment to defending the rights of footballers at all levels and called on all football authorities to hold clubs accountable to their contractual obligations in the upcoming season.
