Lobi Stars Clear ₦32 Million Debt, Exit NFF-PSAC Transfer Ban

Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi has settled all outstanding debts and fines previously imposed by the Nigeria Football Federation Players’ Status & Arbitration Committee (NFF–PSAC), amounting to a total of ₦32 million.

In a ruling on 28 February 2025, the committee found the club guilty of contract breach after a petition by former coach Eugene Agagbe. The club was ordered to pay ₦31.5 million in compensation along with a ₦550,000 fine.

Lobi Stars were given 45 days to make the payment in up to three instalments. Failure to comply triggered a transfer and registration ban by the NFF on 17 June 2025.

Under a newly formed Interim Management Committee (IMC) led by Simon Ikya, Lobi Stars cleared the dues within two weeks of assuming office. As a result, the NFF officially lifted the transfer and registration ban, allowing the club to register and transfer players again.

Editorial

In the architecture of football governance, compliance is the foundation upon which credibility is built. For Lobi Stars, the clearance of ₦32 million in debts is not simply an accounting exercise it is a renewal of integrity. The sanction imposed by the NFF PSAC was both a test and a deterrent, and the club’s response now becomes part of its narrative.

What stands out here is leadership. The previous board’s failure to meet obligations placed the team under a handicap the current IMC’s swift action signals recognition that debts are not only financial burdens but reputational ones. For a club of Lobi Stars’ pedigree, operating at the second tier or below, the ability to attract players and sponsors is stifled when credibility is absent. This moment provides the club with a reset.

The broader implication for Nigerian football is also clear regulatory enforcement must be more than provisional noise it must be followed by tangible compliance. The NFF’s willingness to impose a ban was commendable the club’s compliance now reinforces the value of accountability. But the true measure will be whether Lobi Stars translates this clearance into performance on the pitch, in recruitment and in stability off it.

For supporters, the relief is real but so is the challenge ahead. Paying debts closes one chapter. Building a sustainable future opens the next. Football-clubs are not simply rent-episodes they are institutions. Lobi Stars now have a chance to demonstrate that settling the old is the prelude to building the new.

Did You Know?

1. The ₦31.5 million compensation was awarded to coach Eugene Agagbe for contract-breach by Lobi Stars, following a case heard by the NFF PSAC.
2. The ban was not only on transfers but also on registrations, meaning no new players could be formally signed or fielded until the club met the ruling.
3. Many club-licensing regulations, including those set by CAF (Confederation of African Football), emphasise that ticketing, finances and debt clearance are vital for eligibility in continental competitions.
4. Lobi Stars’ board was dissolved in October 2025 by the Governor of Benue State in order to restructure the club’s management and improve accountability.
5. The NNL (Nigeria National League) enforced a registration deadline for indebted clubs—clubs failing to clear debts by 24 October 2025 risked being unable to register new players.