The parents of Seiyefa Jackson, Peter Perebi and Godspower Tamunogomabo, have strongly denied claims by Rivers United FC that their son absconded to join another team without clearance.
In a statement, the parents declared via Athletic NG:
"We, Peter Perebi and Godspower Tamunogomabo, parent and guardian of Seiyefa Jackson, categorically refute the false and misleading claims made by Rivers United FC in their recent press statement. The club has alleged that our son absconded to join another team without clearance, which is entirely untrue."
They further clarified that Seiyefa Jackson was never under contract with Rivers United FC:
"Seiyefa Jackson is NOT contracted to Rivers United FC as Seiyefa Jackson has never signed a professional contract with Rivers United FC. He is not, and has never been under any contractual obligation to the club."
The parents accused Rivers United FC of violating child protection regulations by promoting their son to the senior team without parental consent:
"Rivers United FC moved our son to the senior team without obtaining our consent, which is a direct violation of child player protection regulations. As a minor, our son cannot be registered with any club without our approval, yet the club went ahead without our knowledge or authorisation."
They revealed that they had formally notified Rivers United FC on February 10, 2025, terminating any affiliation between their son and the club. A follow-up letter reinforcing this termination was sent on March 11, 2025.
"We formally notified Rivers United FC on February 10, 2025, terminating any affiliation between our son and the club. A second letter was sent a month later on the 11th March, 2025, reinforcing this termination and requesting formal acknowledgment."
The parents claimed that Rivers United FC ignored both letters and instead chose to spread false allegations.
"Rivers United FC has refused to respond to both letters and has instead chosen to spread false claims about our son."
They reiterated that Seiyefa Jackson did not abscond, stating:
"We would like to reiterate that our son Seiyefa Jackson DID NOT ABSCOND as he was never legally bound to the club in the first place."
The parents defended their decision to terminate what they described as an unauthorised registration by Rivers United FC, adding that the claim he left without clearance was baseless.
"His departure was a result of our legal and rightful decision as his parents to terminate any unauthorised registration the club had made. Since he was never under contract with Rivers United FC, the claim that he left without clearance is entirely baseless."
They demanded that Rivers United FC issue a public retraction of their claims, formally acknowledge the termination notices, and end defamatory statements about their son.
"The false and damaging narrative being spread by Rivers United FC must be corrected immediately. We, therefore, demand a public retraction of Rivers United FC's press statement falsely claiming that our son absconded, a formal acknowledgment of the termination notices sent on 10th February, 2025 and 11th March, 2025 and an end to all defamatory claims against our son and respect for proper player registration processes, especially concerning minors."
Emphasizing their son's potential, they warned that his career should not be jeopardized by misleading information.
"Seiyefa Jackson is a young and promising footballer, and his career must not be jeopardised by false accusations. I urge Rivers United FC to act responsibly, correct this misrepresentation without further delay and desist from making further misrepresentation as regards our son."
The statement was signed by Peter Perebi and Godspower Tamunogomabo.
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