With N50, 000 Monthly Salary, Nigerian Football League Players Earn Far Lower Than Counterparts In S/Africa, Egypt Leagues

Despite resolution for an improved pay for players in the domestic league, football clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League still pay players N50,000, the Nigerian Players Union said.

Tijani Babangida, the President of the union said this during a courtesy visit to Davidson Owumi, the incoming Chief Executive Officer of League Management Company in Enugu.

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The NPFL is the highest level of the Nigerian football league system.

The NPLF had resolved a minimum wage of N150,000 for players in the league, while the Nigeria Premier League Club Owners Association in 2014 promised to comply.

In dollar equivalent, a player earning N50,000, will receive $121.9 from the club at N410 official rate.

Elsewhere in the Egyptian Premier League, Egypt’s elite and most successful club, Al Ahly pays Walter Bwalya $4,500 a month, the least pay in its first team.

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In Egypt, most players still earn less than $1,000 a month, reflecting the decay in wages payment across Africa leagues.

In South Africa, the Premier Division players earned as low as 5,000 Rand which is an equivalent of $364.61.

Babangida said, “We have written a letter to the state government that the players are paid N80,000, N50,000 instead of a minimum wage of N150,000 and we are already engaging the government which of course they told us they didn’t know.

“I can assure you there will be an amendment. We are also in touch with LMC about this and we are going to make sure that next season, because we are coming closer to them, we are talking more with them to make sure that each and every player in the league goes on with that minimum wage.”

Babangida also lamented the indiscriminate sacking of league players and abuse of contract terms by NPFL clubs.

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He advised players, “You must come with a lawyer that can be able to protect your contract because if you see what is happening now, half a season they will be sacked and if you ask them where your contract is, some don’t even know they have a contract.

“This is a message to all clubs, they should sign their players that they know they will use for a year and not for two months or three months. If you want to sign a contract anywhere in the world, If you are sacking a player, you call him and pay him off or have an understanding of payment and then that player will go.

“If I tell you the cases I have on my desk in Abuja, you will be very surprised; of course the season is almost finished.”

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