LAGOS: Concerns about the bullying tactics of clubs in intimidating unwanted players to barring them from not only selection but training faculities has been raised again by Nigeria forward Uche Nwofor.

The 25-year-old, who scored one goal in eight games last season for Boavista, has complaining to world federation FIFA and international players’ association FIFPro about his exit from the Portuguese club last summer.

Nwofor, in a statement on All Nigeria Soccer website, has accused the club of barring him from training because he would not agree to a pay cut.

He said: “I’ve never seen anything like this. It looked like a Mafia operation. They used security guards to prohibit my entrance to the gym. I was not even allowed to train, violating all the rules of FIFA. Also, I haven’t been paid anything for months.”

Eventually his contract was termined ‘by mutual agreement’ so he could find another club. He is now playing with Slovakia’s AS Trencin.

Nwofor says that his Boavista contract included a termination guarantee of €110,000 which the club has now honoured.

However, he alleges further that Boavista – in their own defence and in denial of any wrongdoing – justified themselves by sending the Portuguese federation a document lacking the clause.

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