NFF Disciplinary Committee Clears Cynosure FC, Sets Aside NLO Sanctions
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Disciplinary Committee has ruled in favour of Cynosure FC, setting aside sanctions imposed on the club by the Nigeria Nationwide League One (NLO) Disciplinary Committee.
The decision followed the Committee’s consideration of a protest lodged by Cynosure FC against the NLO decision at its meeting held on 15 July 2026.
In its findings, the NFF Disciplinary Committee established that the NLO decision against Cynosure FC was not based on any formal or informal complaint lodged against the club.
The Committee also found that Orngudwem Raphael was originally a player of Abakaliki FC before transferring to Solution FC, Awka, a Nigeria National League (NNL) club, where he played during the first half of the 2025/2026 season.
According to the findings, Solution FC duly released the player in a letter dated 20 January 2026, after which he was registered by Cynosure FC on 17 March 2026, following the mandatory 30-day off-play period.
The Committee further examined the case of Ogbodo Valentine Chizoba, a former Cynosure FC player who was released to Osun United FC by mutual agreement.
It found that the player did not execute any binding contract with Osun United FC after being registered by the club for the 2025/2026 NNL season. The Committee also noted that he did not feature in any match for Osun United FC, with his name appearing for the last time on the club’s match form on 14 February 2026, during the match between Osun United FC and Godswill Akpabio FC.
The NFF Disciplinary Committee established that Ogbodo subsequently returned to Cynosure FC and was registered by the club on 16 March 2026, after observing the mandatory 30-day off-play period.
The Committee also faulted the NLO Office for failing to investigate a letter dated 2 April 2026 from Osun United FC declaring the player missing, describing the failure to investigate the matter as an abdication of duty.
Furthermore, the Committee held that the evidence against Cynosure FC over the alleged illegal participation of professional players in a mature league was unsustainable, noting that the case was shrouded in doubt and therefore unreliable.
Consequently, the NFF Disciplinary Committee set aside sanctions numbers one to four imposed by the NLO Disciplinary Committee in its decision dated 19 May 2026.
The Committee also ruled that the protest filed by Cynosure FC had succeeded.
The decision, however, remains subject to the right of appeal.
