NWFL: Falode talks tough on clubs’ indebtedness to players

Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) chairperson, Aisha Falode is talking tough over clubs’ inability to pay players salaries, insisting that only those ascertained to have paid will be admitted into the league.

Falode was speaking on the background of petitions and protests by some women’s league footballers over the indebtedness of their clubs to them.

The executive board member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) acknowledged the development and says her board is willing to take the most stringent possible measures towards the clubs.

“We have some state governments that are owing the women’s club up to seven, eight months salaries,” began Falode on an Instagram Live session with the Super Eagles Supporters Club.

“Before the Covid-19 break, we had written to the clubs, if you don’t show us your statement of salary payment to the players up to date, you run a risk of not playing in the league this season and we meant it.

“We are going to go back to that. If you do not pay these girls for one month, up to three months, who does that? And you expect the girls to play for you and give the impression that everything is fine at the club.”

Falode, a veteran sports journalist bemoaned the current situation of women’s football in the country which is treated as second class to the men’s game.

She however warned erring clubs that the league board will not hesitate to take drastic measures which may include preventing them from participating in the league.

She continued: “Our girls do not need to demonstrate, they don’t need to carry placards before you pay them their wages. We just want the league to resume, we have sent them reminders to pay their players up to date. If it is only ten clubs that can pay, if it is eight, we are going to go ahead and play with those eight clubs.

“There must be some kind of institutionalised policies at this time that you cannot owe players their salaries, how much more young girls. If you do that, you’re opening them up to some kind of vices that you cannot contemplate,” Falode opined.

The 2019/20 Nigeria Women Premier League (NWPL) was due to commence in March 2020 but has been put off indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation.