Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side, Kano Pillars has been banned from registering new players ahead of the season by the league organizer.
The ban was necessitated following the failure of the club to pay the mandatory N11.8m to former goalkeeper, Bassey Akpan for breach of contract.
In a letter signed by the NPFL Head of Administration, Stanley Ike-Richard sent to the Kano Pillars management and made available to sports journalists, the NPFL made it clear that given the existing ban, the club cannot sign or register new players ahead of the new season until the club pays the former player the outstanding sum of eleven million, eight hundred thousand naira(N11,800,000.00).
It will be recalled that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) through the Players’ Status/Arbitration Committee in a letter signed by the Secretary of the Committee, Joshua Onoja, Esq. ordered Kano Pillars to remit the outstanding sum of ₦11.8 million owed in arrears to their former goalkeeper Bassey Akpan within 21 days in June 2023, a decision the club is yet to comply with.
The former Kwara unite shot-stopper joined Kano Pillars from Akwa United as a free agent and penned a two-year contract then.
The former Nigeria international Akpan was named in the Super Eagles preparatory squad for the 2010 World Cup by Coach Lars Largerback but did not make the final squad.
Meanwhile, The 2023/24 NPFL season will kick off this weekend with Kano Pillars playing on the road against Sunshine Stars after Abudulai Maikaba” ‘s led side secured promotion to the top flight after finishing second in the Nigeria National League playoff.
The NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi however announced that the ban will not be lifted until both parties reach a compromise.
Sportsbeep 