Rangers International FC and the club Secretary, Elder Joseph Onwukwe have been charged with infractions of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Rules and Framework in the course of mediation proceedings in the dispute between the club and its former coach, Imama Amapakabo.
The League Management Company (LMC) has subsequently levied sanctions on the club and the official with Rangers fined ₦5million and Onwukwe banned from all NPFL activities for a period of one year.
The LMC also directed Rangers to pay the sacked Coach various sums including ₦14,560,000 representing his salaries for April to October 2017 and compensation for wrongful termination, ₦1,600,000 representing his salary for November and December 2016, ₦600,000 which represents arrears of allowances and bonuses and $725 which is international travel allowance owed Amapakabo.
Onwukwe was charged for breaches of Appendix E1.5, Appendix E1.4 (Code of Conduct for Club Officials), C28 and C1 of the Framework and Rules.
The first charge read, “you are in breach of Appendix E1.5 (Code of Conduct for Club Officials of the NPFL Framework and Rules in that on Wednesday, 19th July, 2017, in your capacity as an official and representative of Rangers International Football Club in the course of dispute resolution proceedings involving Coach Imama Amapakabo and Rangers International Football Club, you issued threats, including: “that the Coach is an individual whereas the Club is an apparatus of the government and that he must stop giving the Club problems”; thereby failing to show due respect to others involved in the game.
Onwukwe was also charged for breach of Appendix E1.4 (Code of Conduct for Club Officials) of the Framework and Rules, “in that on or about Wednesday, 19th July, 2017, in your capacity as an official and representative of Rangers International Football Club in the course of dispute resolution proceedings involving Coach Imama Amapakabo and Rangers International Football Club, your words and conduct, including the issuance of threats, switching off your mobile phone in a bid to refuse to disclose and to evade requested information, constitute attempts to game the system”.
The Rangers official was further charged for refusal to assist in the mediation proceedings when requested to do so, thereby violating Rule C28.
On the fourth count, Elder Onwukwe was charged for issuing threats, failure to provide assistance in the course of inquiry, failure to behave with the utmost good faith, failure to act in the best interest of the game, failure to comply with the directives, requirement, rules and or regulations governing the League and acting in a manner capable of bringing the game into disrepute, which constitutes misconduct contrary to Rule C1.
Rangers International FC was charged for inappropriate handling of official correspondence with the LMC as well as failing to act with utmost good faith in the claim over a vehicle which formed part of the matter in the dispute contrary to Rule 5.5.1.
