A Nigerian football club has been deemed negligent in connection with the death of its player, Chineme Martins, who passed away during a match five years ago.
Martins fell ill and died while representing Nasarawa United in a league game in March 2020. He was 25 years old.
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria also determined that the match commissioner, the Nigerian Football League, and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) displayed negligence regarding Martins’ death, as stated by the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) on Thursday.
“The court stated that the league, the NFF and the match commissioner of the day also had a duty of care to ensure that the club complied with the relevant regulation and that they breached it,” FIFPRO said in a statement.
There has been no response from Nasarawa United or the NFF concerning the recent ruling.
The court’s decision, according to FIFPRO, criticised the fact that Martins was permitted to compete without undergoing comprehensive medical evaluations and without proper medical facilities being available at Lafia Township Stadium.
“The National Industrial Court of Nigeria ruled that Nasarawa United breached their duty of care towards Martins and that the club must compensate his family,” FIFPRO said.
A report released on the NFF’s website that year revealed that Nasarawa United did not have a medical doctor or a physiotherapist present at the match and that no operational ambulance was available at the stadium at the time of the incident.
