$2 Billion Lost: Football Law Summit Warns Nigerian Clubs Of Massive Contract Failures
By AUGUSTUS ISICHEI
NIGERIA’S football industry has bled an estimated $2 billion in the last ten years due to poor contract management and limited understanding of international transfer rules, sports lawyer Pius C. Ndubuokwu has disclosed. Speaking at the second International Sport Solicitors’ Football Law Annual Moot (FLAM) in Abuja, he said systemic ignorance continues to undermine players, clubs, and the broader football economy.
The two-day summit, themed “The Role of International Arbitral Tribunals in Maintaining Contractual Stability in Football,” gathered leading sports-law experts to address recurring disputes and the regulatory complexities of global football transfers.
Ndubuokwu cited research showing that over 30% of the 17,200 Nigerian players transferred abroad over the last decade experienced contract violations — and 90% of them were unaware their rights had been breached. He warned that failure to understand FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) and the recently established FIFA Clearing House has left Nigerian clubs exposed to huge financial losses. The NFF, he noted, currently has more than 4,100 Eligibility Processing Payments (EPPs) pending review.
Grassroots academies remain the biggest casualties. Ndubuokwu revealed that smaller clubs have lost more than $2 million in just the past three years due to ignorance of solidarity and training-compensation entitlements. He referenced a recent case where a Nigerian club almost missed out on over €1 million from a player’s transfer.
Sports lawyer Ajakaiye Oluwatosin added that FLAM’s goal is to develop a new generation of African sports-law professionals capable of navigating global arbitration. He urged young lawyers to invest in deep specialization to provide players and clubs with the crucial legal guidance they often lack.
