Good day folks. Welcome to a brand new week.
The transfer window is one of the busiest periods in football.
Across the world, players are signing new contracts, extending existing ones, rejecting renewal offers and moving from one club to another. Journalists thrive on transfer rumours while supporters spend hours refreshing social media in search of the latest update about their clubs. Some stories eventually become reality, some collapse at the last minute and many were never true in the first place.
Nigeria is no different.
This is the period when NPFL clubs release twenty players, sign twenty-five more and unveil new additions almost every week. While some players negotiate with agents and lawyers by their side, many still represent themselves. Others simply sign whatever is placed before them without fully understanding the document in front of them.
Perhaps that explains why contract disputes have become almost as common as transfers themselves.
Only a few days ago, Enyimba found itself at the centre of one such controversy. Former players publicly demanded outstanding salaries and sign-on fees. The club insisted payment had been made, but when the players repeated their claims, the conversation suddenly went quiet.
Then came the case of Mujeeb Odufeso.
What started as an appeal to the club for assistance with surgery eventually became a public appeal. Odufeso was injured while under contract at Enyimba. Even if that contract has now expired, one would expect the club to have taken responsibility from the moment the injury occurred. This is now the second Enyimba player in as many years seeking public support for surgery. That does little to enhance the club’s image.
But beyond Enyimba, a much bigger question presents itself.
Do NPFL players truly understand the contracts they sign?
If valid contracts exist, why do so many disputes continue to play out on social media? Do players appreciate that a football contract is a legally binding document, not just another piece of paper to be signed before posing for photographs? Do they fully understand what they are agreeing to before putting pen to paper?
Too often, when a player feels shortchanged, the first reaction is to speak to a journalist or ask the media to intervene. Yet the best opportunity to protect yourself usually comes long before the dispute begins—during negotiations.
The reality is that many of these issues could be avoided.
Instead, ignorance, poor legal awareness and the belief that “everything will work out” continue to leave many NPFL players dangerously exposed. Some even see hiring legal representation as an unnecessary expense, not realising that the cost of not having one can be far greater.
The unfortunate truth is that clubs generally understand these contracts far better than the players signing them. In some cases, administrators may even exploit that imbalance by presenting agreements that heavily favour the club. It may be harsh, but football is also a business, and businesses naturally seek to protect their own interests. That is precisely why players must also protect theirs.
Sadly, I wouldn’t be surprised if some players read this and still choose to negotiate alone.
The danger lies in believing you understand every clause simply because you’ve read every word. Sometimes the entire meaning of a contract can change because of something as simple as the difference between “and” and “or.”
None of this excuses clubs that fail to honour their obligations to players. Welfare remains the responsibility of every professional football club.
This is simply a plea for our players to do better by protecting themselves before problems arise.
A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
