Nigerian Club, League And Federation Found Negligent For Player’s Death

FIFPRO is the Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels. It is basically the international professional footballers’ union.

Nigerian club, league and federation found negligent for player’s death

17 April 2025

⚫️ Chineme Martins, who played for Nasarawa United, died after collapsing during a Nigerian Professional Football League match at which there was insufficient medical services in March 2020

⚫️ The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has found the club, league, federation, and match commissioner negligent for Martins’ death

⚫️The court’s ruling stated that it was “reprehensible” that Martins was allowed to play without complete medical tests and without the provision of adequate medical facilities at the Lafia Township Stadium

A Nigerian club, together with the league and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), have been found negligent for the death of a player during a game in March 2020.

Nigerian defender Chineme Martins, who played for Nasarawa United, died at the age of 25 after collapsing during a Nigerian Professional Football League match at which there was insufficient medical services.

A report published on the NFF’s website that year stated that Nasarawa United had ‘neither a medical doctor nor a physiotherapist’ at the game and that there was ‘no functional ambulance at the stadium’ at the time of the incident.

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. 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.

The court’s ruling stated it was “reprehensible” that Martins was allowed to play without complete medical tests – an echocardiogram was never conducted on Martins at the start of each of his three seasons with the club – and without the provision of adequate medical facilities at the Lafia Township Stadium.

FIFPRO lawyers assisted the family of Martins to pursue the claim of negligence. Martins’ brother Michael said: “The court has spoken and ruled that Nasarawa United, the league management company and the NFF did not take into consideration my brother’s safety, health and welfare which contributed to his death.

“I hope that the appropriate medical provisions are put in place for Nigeria’s footballers going forward, so that no family has to endure the pain we have suffered.”