By ______________________________________________________________________
Sani Lulu, the NFA Chairman today in Makurdi,
urged the leadership of State Football Associations (FAs) to be
democratic in their administration.
Lulu made the call in a paper, entitled “The Statutory Role And
Functions of State FAs,’’ at a retreat for chairmen and secretaries
of state associations in Makurdi.
He said FAs needed to cooperate with local football councils and
integrate them in their administration just as the NFA was doing
with them.
Lulu said that football structures in all states must be
democratised to conform with the dictates of FIFA and other football
bodies.
The NFA chairman said most football associations in the states were
enmeshed in rules and regulations which tended to weaken the
development of the game at the grassroots.
He said the statutes that provided for the powers and functions of
FA’s, allowed them to make rules and regulations but forbid any form
of regulation against NFA, WAFU, CAF and FIFA.
Lulu also stated that FAs were responsible for the act, conduct or
commission of players, officials and spectators during and after
matches.
He stated that the prolonged undemocratic administration of football
at state level was the bane of its growth.
“It is imperative for them to know that democratisation was not an
option but compulsory.
“It is gratifying to note that the era of maladministration of
football at the national level was gone in 2006 when officials were
democratically elected,’’ he said.
He advised the FAs at the state level to entrench a standard in the
management of soccer by inculcating sound ideas that were acceptable
worldwide,” he added.
The chairmen and secretaries of FAs in the 36 states of the
federation and Abuja attended the one-day retreat.
