faced heart problems of his own<\/a>.<\/p>\nBut some local players – in a sign of the atmosphere enveloping the country’s domestic football – turned down a chance to support their late friend.<\/p>\n
“I begged three players to testify,” said Michael Chineme.<\/p>\n
“But they were afraid of their career – that if they came, they might be threatened, they might lose their job.”<\/p>\n
Now those self-same players are celebrating a case which the family always hoped would deliver justice “not just for Martins, but for every other footballer”.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been approached by some players and by his friends that still play,” said Michael. “They were like: ‘Thank you for this, we never knew this was still going on, we never knew you were this resilient’.”<\/p>\n
Along with the federation, league and match commissioner, Nasarawa United must pay the family damages, but Michael says the amount will not even cover their legal fees.<\/p>\n
That is one reason a foundation he established in his brother’s name in 2022 will help footballers legally, but not financially.<\/p>\n
“I set up Chineme Martins Football Foundation to see the little way it can help those who have been suffering these kinds of issues,” he said.<\/p>\n
As Michael admits, the family might easily have given up the legal fight without Fifpro’s support.<\/p>\n
In return, the global players’ union is delighted the steadfast Chinemes may have secured a brighter future for footballers across the planet.<\/p>\n
“There’s a simple message,” Alves said of the ruling.<\/p>\n
“For the people involved on the pitch, this is work. People that organise these competitions have to make sure they’re doing it in safe conditions.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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