http://africanfootball.mtnfootball.com/live/content.php?Item_ID=32720

[size=16pt]Players’ union raises alarm on NFF polls[/size]

Nigeria’s players’ union, APFON, has raised alarm that some groups are desperate to ensure that world football governing body FIFA ban Nigeria on account of a stalemated elective congress of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday.

National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF), led by Harrison Jalla, has reportedly secured a Lagos high court ruling that the elections do not take place on Thursday.

President of the Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria (APFON), Dahiru Sadi, told MTNFootball.com that NANF is an illegal body, which was expelled by FIFPro two years ago and as such they do not have the right to seek such an injunction.

"NANF are illegal. They are among the unpatriotic elements who are hell bent on creating confusion at the congress for elections into the executive committee of the NFF on Thursday that would lead to a FIFA ban."

FIFA observer, Primo Carvaro, has warned that the polls must take place in Thursday or else FIFA will take a very different view on the whole matter.

Former international Sadi said: "Some desperate people are out to cause confusion during the elections on Thursday so that it will not hold.

"That is an unpatriotic act and a sabotage because they want FIFA to finally ban us, which will not speak well of the sports-loving government of President Goodluck Jonathan."

APFON is the players’ union recognised by the NFF and has a vote at the 44-man elective congress on Thursday.

APFON patron, Collins Eselomo, insisted that elections will take place on Thursday and the court ruling has no bearing on the congress because it was unanimously agreed that no legal challenges will be entertained as regards the polls.

"The elections will take place. No interference of the judiciary will stop the elections," he said.

"We as a body condemn in its entirety the protest march by 1% of Nigerian players on Tuesday and the court ruling sought by an illegal organisation," said Eselomo.

"We take serious exceptions that a handful of ex-internationals sponsored by Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, now wish to constitute themselves into a nuisance.

"Amaechi should know that he is a product of the law and should therefore not be naïve, but instead should properly advise his boys, who are looking for excuses for their failure."

Former internationals like Segun Odegbami, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha and Mutiu are vying for positions on the NFF board, but the union has endorsed Christian Chukwu and Eselomo for this election.

"Odegbami and Okocha never contacted us about their ambitions. We only read on the pages of the newspapers that they are contesting. Probably, they believe they can do without the association," said Sadi.

"Okocha was the interim president of APFON for two years and we bumped into him during the recent Federation Cup final in Kano. We all saw Odegbami at the stakeholders’ forum hosted by the House of Representatives. But both of them never contacted us on their intentions.

"The truth is that no single player is bigger than the player’s association."