Eagles code of conduct: Rufai approves, Adepoju indifferent

Ex-Nigeria internationals have continued to proffer ways to instil lasting discipline in the country’s national team to spare the public of their on-and-off disagreements. The Super Eagles went on strike in June in
Windhoek following a World Cup qualifying match against Namibia over match bonus. The Nigeria Football Federation had offered the players $5,000 for the win against Kenya a few days earlier and $2,500 for the draw in Namibia which was rejected as the players demanded double the amounts as they were paid in the past.

The international embarrassment created over the furore forced the Minister of Sports Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi to set up a panel to investigate the matter, find a way forward and also produce a code of conduct for the players.

And speaking with The PUNCH on Tuesday, a former goalkeeper and captain of the team, Peter Rufai, told our correspondent that there was nothing wrong with producing a document to guide the players in camp if that was the way to reduce frequent misunderstanding between the players and the FA.

He said, “I believe it (code of conduct) will work. The major work is not about producing it but the real test lies in implementation and monitoring of violations and all that.

“I see that the technical crew and the NFF are very determined to return the country to where we used to be. And so if using a code of conduct is what will help us get there, I strongly believe we should go on with it.

“I have listened to arguments for and against it but I have watch the current sports minister closely on how he is handling situations in both football and other sports and I can say he has done well so far. That Olympic disaster in London appears have increased his determination to change things and I guess that is the reason he is thinking this way.”

When reminded that the idea was rejected by the Eagles in the past and the fact that the players were all professionals, Rufai maintained that organisation bring up policies that will push their investment on the upward side.

“Yes, the players are mature and are professionals but in corporate bodies we also have rules for every staff to maintain certain standards. This is what we have coming into the team.”

Rufai’s former teammate Mutiu Adepoju feels indifferent about the project.

He said, “I don’t really know if it is necessary putting anything down in papers for players at this level. There just has to be understanding between the NFF and the players and things will work fine all the time. The NFF is made up of mature people and the players are professionals. Let both sides just do the right thing and there won’t be quarrels in the public.”