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NIGERIA NOT LISTED IN FIFPRO-AFRICA AS IT SIGNS 5-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH CAF

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Despite the noise by footballers’ associations in Nigeria, their influence does not go beyond the country’s frontiers.

On Saturday in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt as part of the CAF Extraordinary Congress, CAF and FIFPro Africa Division signed a partnership agreement, seven years after the “Memorandum of Understanding”, signed in Khartoum in February 2011.

FIFPro Africa is the continent’s division of Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels.

Nigeria parades the Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria (APFON) and the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF).

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None of the two is listed as member affiliates if FIPRO-Africa which signed the agreement with CAF.

The CAF – FIFPro-Africa Agreement.

The member unions listed are SAFPU of South Africa, FUB of Botswana, SYNAFOC of Cameroon, AFI of Cote d’Ivoire, UFC of DR Congo and EPFA of Egypt.

Others are ANFPG of Gabon, PFAG of Ghana, KEFWA of Kenya, UMFP of Morocco, NAFPU of Namibia, UNFT of Tunisia, FAWUZof Zambia and FUZ of Zimbabwe.

Most of the affiliate unions are headed by well-known footballers. Cameroon has Geremi Njitap, Egypt has Magdy Abel Ghani, Ghana has Kwesi Appiah and Morocco with Mustapha El Haddaoui.

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FIFPro Africa Division was created in 2007 and the Board President is Geremi Njitap who featured for Cameroon at the 2002 and 2010 World Cup finals. Didier Drogba is the Honorary President.

Other members of the board are Magdy Abel Ghani (Egypt), Anthony Baffoe (Ghana), Cyrille Domoraud (Cote d’Ivoire), Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe (South Africa) and Stacey Naris (Namibia).

The keys to the CAF – FIFPro Africa Division agreement signed on Saturday include organization of “CAF-FIFPro Africa Best XI”, and training program and education of African youth teams participating in CAF competitions.

Other points include contribution to the improvement of the working conditions and the well-being of the players and integrate as much as possible the players in the decision making that concern the and also to address and respond together to all issues that concern footballers and football in Africa.

It is not certain whether Nigerian players will be covered by the various benefits, as their associations are not listed as part of FIFPro Africa.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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