The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has summoned the management of Enyimba FC to explain growing concerns over unpaid bonuses and deteriorating player welfare, amid intensifying scrutiny surrounding the club’s internal management.
The intervention by the league follows revelations that several players who played last season are still owed significant sums in match bonuses and salaries, with only a third of the agreed amounts paid as of July, three months after the resolution was reached.
Five players, including club captain Alalibo Somiari, were released by mutual consent following months of unpaid entitlements.
Others affected include Ezeh Chidera, Nwaodu Chukwudi, Onyemaechi Austin, and Francis Odinaka.
Investigations show that the total amount owed to players runs into several millions of naira.
Photo Credit: The Athletic Images
Athletic NG earlier uncovered that the club had committed to settling the debts following formal complaints lodged with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and player representatives.
Despite the agreement, the majority of the payments remain outstanding.
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The latest development comes after former Super Eagles striker Brown Ideye, who featured briefly for the club last season, accused the club of owing bonuses and neglecting player welfare.
His public comments prompted the league’s leadership to act, leading to the official summons of the club.
Brown Ideye with Enyimba teammates( photo credit: Getty Images)
Enyimba’s financial situation has come under increasing public scrutiny since 2023, when the Abia State Government replaced long-serving chairman Felix Anyansi-Agwu with former Nigeria captain Nwankwo Kanu. While the appointment of the former Arsenal forward was initially greeted with optimism, concerns have grown about the club’s decline in structure and performance.
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The club’s management is expected to appear before the NPFL board on Thursday, where it will be asked to clarify the circumstances surrounding the unpaid player entitlements and the failure to implement the financial agreements reached earlier this year.
Enyimba, an eight-time NPFL champion and two-time African champion, now faces a potential integrity crisis just weeks before the start of the new league season.
