 And for the last lap now, in view of several unpleasant incidents regarding the management of Football League, especially and specifically the declaration of the National Football League, the NFL as an illegal body by the court. The status of the league management company, that's the LMC, the NFL's success or entitle being outside the poor view of status of the NFF, the federal government is constrained to withdraw its recognition of the LMC as operator of the Nigerian Professional Football League with immediate effect. This decision has become necessary because of the obvious abbreviation, which is with the football set to use or the law of the land, whereby a private company is gifted the mandate to manage or run the league indefinitely without full involvement of leadership by the clubs and devoid of any process to monitor the progress and development of the game. Sequel to the above, in order to rescue a domestic football from total collapse, the board of the LMC and the LMC as a body would no longer be recognized by the federal government as operators of the Nigerian Professional Football League. Now to a further curse in our domestic football, the NFF, is advised to immediately withdraw the license giving to the LMC and in the meantime set up an entire management committee to include the current chief executive officer and chief operating officer of the LMC to oversee the affairs of the league until a proper professional league board is constituted in accordance with the statute of the NFF. I mean, now prior to this now, the latest development is that the men of the Nigerian police force were seen sealing off the office of the LMC right there in Mitama, Abuja. We have Monday Thumbnail Sports Analyst joining the conversation this morning. Many thanks, Monday for being part of the show. Good morning, Mercy. It's a fantastic time to be here, but it's not so fantastic what is happening with the Nigerian Football League. And I think it's high time we get to see our league move forward and just like we see in other climes and we love it. So let's quickly get into this and which was after just the later from the LMC stating that there is no cause for alarm. And this is after the federal government that according to a call ruling from the settlement from the federal government to ensure that the league management companies are abolished and they're now being assigned that they're not recognized as a body that is controlling football in the country, league football in the country. But for me to start by saying that I'm not going to be I'm not going to be contradicting anybody if I say that I'm speaking for everyone, but I'm not speaking for anyone because in other climes like in the English Premier League football has gone above the government football has gone above the interference of the English government and that's how it should be because football can be run as a business and the issues that the LMC and Nigerian league football is facing are very clear as issues of financing, issues of broadcasting, issues of sponsoring and also issues of poor referees. And I think the LMC are falsely accused of being the ones that to carry the burden of all these issues. There should be a synergy between the LMC and the federal government. In other words, Thomas are you saying that there's no court order declaring the LMC an illegitimate or illegal? Are you saying that there's no court order? Is that what you're implying? That is what a lot of people believe and forgive me if I believe the same thing because there are some arguments that the members of the Ministry of Youth and Sport are just trying to reconstruct the burden, maybe come up with a new name and just take off the people who are running football just because they think they're not doing the right job. But I think they are falsely accused and the burden of football not working in the country is rested on their shoulders alone and this is a blame game the federal government are trying to play. I mean it's not a town where we should point fingers and say or at this particular group where it's possible to make football work in a country they are not doing so so let's sweep them up and come out with another group. So many people think that there is no court ruling that these are just these are just asked to be treated by members of the Ministry of Youth and Sport in order to just sweep this group of people and create another one. The league was supposed to start the NPFL the the highly exhausted league in the country was supposed to begin on the 23rd of this month. The timing is wrong. I understand that these issues are supposed to be tackled but the way they are going about it is not the right way. You cannot come and take off a body that has been existing for the past eight seasons or the eight years and football has been going on although not in the best possible way but we still have something I don't have nothing that we should settle through the poor football we have in the country we should go for that but for us to go for the federal government the government of every respective state have to work hand in hand with the LMC because the LMC will not build stadiums the LMC will not build facilities for us to see free flowing football on a good facility on a good turf the LMC will not build this facility for poor recruiting the referee the LMC are not responsible in paying referees they are maybe just responsible in uh given this referees the assignment and where they should be where they should be officiating at a particular match day the referees have a national body who's responsible in paying them who's responsible to ensure that these referees are not going about getting right so the LMC are just forcefully accused of football not working in this country all right Monday what I'd like to know from you is um uh who set up the LMC the LMC according to a statement their release with the federal government said that they will continue their route with their court order the LMC have according to them they have NSF backing and the feveral regulations so these people didn't just come up from nowhere once upon a time they were treated and people recognized them the first government recognized them no wonder they were they were running football for the past eight seasons now well but but do you think that with all of this is happening now this would not constitute government interference uh I mean something that FIFA France against I think FIFA FIFA France against it when uh government interfere on uh international like the super ego but when it comes to local local football like this I think the government have the right to do whatever they want to do but they shouldn't do it because they can just do it but they should do it in a way that football should move forward they should be a synergy so that these two bodies can work not when if not working one would point a finger to the other and say you are the one not making this thing work so therefore we should get you off and get other persons to run it so the the timing is poor how they are going about it is poor I understand that football is not up to par clearly this is not the this is this is not football it is not how football should be in Nigeria even South Africa do it much better not that they have the resources more than us so they can manage things they can work hard in hand to ensure football work but right now we're just pointing fingers and the LMP are the ones who are looking like the bad guys here all right all right I mean it's interesting you mentioned South Africa I mean back in the day when the league was run by the NFA there was no LMC it wasn't a bad league the South Africans upon the end of a path that came to Nigeria to meet the NFA to I'm sure you remember this history to learn from Nigerians how the league is being run to be able to implement something similar in South Africa but look at where we are today before you go just a quick word from you on the state of affairs as far as the NFF elections are concerned in Newsbrook yesterday that the court in Abuja had stopped the election which was meant to hold on September 30 you know the NFF is part of big play as far as the league is concerned what happens there affects the Nigerian leagues so what can you say about this wow just when I thought that it's just about 14 days to go for the NFF elections and I got that news yesterday as well it's quite sad but I think we are just trying to reassess the electoral body we assess how the voting is done and according to that court ruling one of the major factors that they are trying to ensure is that the voting should be more transparent that many people should be involved in it rather than the 44 delegates who have the future of Nigerian football at the palms of their hands so they are trying to just extend it making sure the voting is right this time so the court body stopping the election for me it's good and bad but it's bad because we have to wait we have to wait to see this hello yes we have to go now thank you so much okay we're hoping that we put our acts together we're able to solve all of this and you know we have a great time with the league moving forward because we have to move forward there are a lot of issues for us the election is waiting for us in 2023 thank you so much for your time always all right it's okay I thought was not enough but I appreciate it I understand thank you for having me well thank you so much Monday Thomas is a sports analyst and that's the size of our conversation we have to go because we joined the newsroom this morning at nine o'clock for the world news you like to say of the news brief I am Messia Boko now and if you missed out on any part of the conversation it will be okay to follow us on Facebook Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to YouTube channel and plus TV Africa and plus TV Africa lifestyle next for time my name is Kofi Bartels good morning