CAF decision on Rangers FC, a shock

However, I am sincerely at a loss as to why the CAF Appeal Board threw out the appeal filed by the Nigeria Football Federation on behalf of Enugu Rangers FC in relation to CAF’s disqualification of the team from the 2013 CAF Confederation Cup.While the NFF shall very soon deal with the matter of player […]

However, I am sincerely at a loss as to why the CAF Appeal Board threw out the appeal filed by the Nigeria Football Federation on behalf of Enugu Rangers FC in relation to CAF’s disqualification of the team from the 2013 CAF Confederation Cup.
While the NFF shall very soon deal with the matter of player Emmanuel Daniel who is at the centre of the whole controversy, it is disturbing, and deeply so, that the CAF Appeal Board simply threw out the appeal on a so-called technical ground without even looking into the merits of the case.
The regulations on a football player’s contract and the responsibilities and obligations thereto are very clear all over the world. The young man, Emmanuel Daniel, reportedly signed a one-year contract with Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan and also, reportedly did not start featuring for Rangers until the expiration of his contract with 3SC, and also not until he had received his license to play in the Premier League. While this case, as I said earlier, will be dealt with in the boardroom, I am concerned with the terms under which the appeal was thrown out without a second glance.
CAF Appeal Board wrote and I quote: “Irrelevant of the fact that the financial expenses of the appeal had been paid by the appellant, the review of the different notices of appeals highlights a difficulty which unfortunately leads the Appeal Board to conclude that the provisions of Article 54 of the CAF Disciplinary Code had not been respected.
“The combination of Article 22 of the Regulations of the Orange Confederation Cup and Article 54 of the Disciplinary Code indicate that the Federation may lodge an appeal before the CAF Appeal Board.
“The regularity of such appeal, however, is subject to the production of a written agreement of the person concerned.
“As stipulated by Article 54, paragraph 2 of the CAF Disciplinary Code: “National associations may appeal against decisions sanctioning their players, officials or members. They shall have the written agreement of the person concerned.”
In quoting the Article 54, paragraph 2 of the CAF Disciplinary Code, the CAF Appeal Board failed to establish that the written agreement so requested MUST BE PRESENTED TO THE APPEAL BOARD.
The paragraph 2 simply desired that the appealing National Association must HAVE the written agreement of the player, official or member concerned. In this case, the Nigeria Football Federation has the written agreement of Enugu Rangers FC to appeal on its behalf, but certainly, the rules for filing an appeal failed to insist that such an agreement must be PRESENTED.
It is on this ground that the Nigeria Football Federation is giving its full backing to Enugu Rangers FC to go to Court of Arbitration for Sport to seek redress. The club certainly had done enough to be the team in the CAF Confederation Cup group phase in place of Club Sportive Sfaxien of Tunisia.
Amazingly, not only did CAF give Sfaxien the go-ahead to play a group phase match against fellow Tunisians, Etoile du Sahel only 24 hours after the meeting was held, the Nigeria Football Federation had not even been briefed on the decision of the Appeal Board before that match went ahead.
While the CAF Appeal Board was insisting that NFF did not PRESENT the written agreement of Rangers FC to appeal, as against our HAVING the written agreement, the body did not raise any issue against the NFF paying the $3,000 appeal fee on behalf of Rangers FC!
Another First…
Last Saturday in Abidjan, as I correctly predicted, the Super Eagles Team B sailed into the finals of the 2014 African Nations Championship, at the expense of Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire. Despite so many odds, and a jittery start to the game as admitted by the Head Coach, the boys held out for a historic ticket to the continental tournament.
It is the first time that our country would be making appearance at the tournament reserved for players based in the domestic League of their countries, after we failed to get there in 2009 and 2011.
For us at the NFF, it is another milestone in the life of this administration, coming in a year in which we won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in nearly two decades, had the first-ever permanent home of the NFF commissioned by the Vice President of the Federal Republic and having just blooded the youngest and most promising U-17 team that country has ever produced.
Surely, we will do everything within available resources to see that the Super Eagles Team B is adequately prepared to go to South Africa in January and do the nation proud by lifting the trophy.
Minefield of the Federation Cup…
Cup holders Heartland FC of Owerri and League champions Kano Pillars fell into the minefield of the Federation Cup competition in the Round of 8 midweek, losing to Akwa United FC and Warri Wolves respectively.
Wolves were particularly devastating in a 3-0 demolition of Kano Pillars and must now fancy themselves for a place in the final. But doing do without preparing hard for Akwa United would be like preparing to fall into the minefield that claimed the champions.
NEXT WEEK: National Technical Centres