Confusion over Nigeria's Adefemi

By Oluwashina Okeleji
BBC Sport, Lagos

Nigeria defender Olubayo Adefemi is involved in another transfer saga

Nigeria defender Olubayo Adefemi has become embroiled in a row over his proposed move to French first division club US Boulogne.

His Austrian side SC Rheindorf Altach insist the player, who claims to have signed a four year deal with Boulogne, is under contract with them until 2011.

Adefemi told the BBC that he is free to move to France as he had a 'financial compensation agreement' with the relegated Austrian club.

But Rheindorf insist there is no such deal and are ready to take both player and club to football's world governing body, Fifa.

"There is no way the club has agreed to sell the player to Boulogne, besides the agents that brought him to Altach are unaware of this move," Rheindorf's sporting director, Walter Hörmann, told BBC Sport.

"We are open to offers from Boulogne and other interested clubs but nothing has been done yet.

"Adefemi's a good player but needs to be a better professional.

"To my knowledge there's nothing in his contract with us that allows him to terminate it unilaterally.

"The club has requested his International Transfer Certificate, but first they must make a starting offer.

"Altach will reserve all its rights to take all appropriate legal action unless the club come to discuss directly with us."

The defender, who helped Nigeria to silver medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the World Youth Championship in 2005, made his debut for the Super Eagles in a friendly against Republic of Ireland earlier this year.

It is not the first time the 23-year-old defender has been involved in a transfer wrangle.

His first club AS Racine in Nigeria complained about his switch from Israel to Romania last summer, arguing that they had a sell-on clause in his contract that was not honoured.

Then just four months later the player reported Romanian club Rapid Bucharest to Fifa over unpaid salaries, he eventually won his case and was allowed to move to Austria.