Stephen Dunmoye
The Nigeria Professional Football League clubs, (NPFL) have proposed playing a shortened league for the 2022/23 season of the Nigeria top tier league due to time constraints, noting that they need to have a uniform football calendar with the European leagues.
The proposal outlined some of the issues Club Owners tabled before the new Nigeria Football Federation president, Ibrahim Musa Gusau on Monday evening after a closed-door meeting at Sunday Dankaro Football House, Abuja.
Officials of NPFL clubs divulged that the proposal for the abridged league will be forwarded to the Interim Management Committee for consideration as soon as the Committee is inaugurated by the NFF president with the league to be divided into two groups of 10 teams each.
“We also mooted the idea that the (League Management Company) LMC headed by a former Director-General of the National Sports Commission, NSC, Gbenga Elegbeleye as constituted by the Sports Minister Sunday Dare, would be for a season after which the NPFL will elect executives to run the league.”
“The club owners considered various options and the best option available to us now is to play an abridged league to end the season on time. Playing full season with the time lost will not help our players who may be going for trials in Europe. Our league needs proper restructuring and organization”
“Can you imagine countries like Ethiopia, Zambia, Kenya, and South Africa have their league running without interruption and shown live on Cable TV and other television stations. Our league is not experiencing the best of time in terms of sponsorship, huge debts for match officials and staff of scrapped LMC.”
“If we must get it right, the NPFL Board must be put in place and substantive board with chairman elected. We need sponsors and partners to drive the league.”