Idoko: How LMC Is Working To Fix The League

  Idoko: How LMC Is Working To Fix The League …Wishes Enyimba, Rivers United, Others Well in CAF Competitions By Taofeek Lawal Plans are underway to take the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to a global standard and align it with the football calendar of top leagues of the world, BSNsports.com.ng reports. An astute football administrator and one of the longest-serving in Nigerian football, Mike Idoko, has revealed the plan of the League Management Company (LMC), the body in charge of running the NPFL, to change the face of Nigerian league for good. Idoko, who has had stints with Sunshine Stars of Akure and Warri Wolves said the LMC is not relenting in its efforts to align Nigerian football calendar with that of Europe to check the mass exit of players from the league but for the Covid-19 pandemic which disrupted all the plans. He said a situation where a top scorer leave for obscure league at the middle of the season takes shine and quality off the league and renders it stagnant. His words, “We have to understand that they (LMC) have been trying to align our calendar with that of Europe so that during the season the players will not say they are going for trials abroad so that when we align our calendar with that of Europe, the challenges of players’ exodus to Europe will be curbed. Secondly, when a player start scoring goals for his club and becomes the highest goal scorer in the league at a stage, you will find out that such player starts going out for a trial in the middle of the league and it affects the quality of our league. The League Management Company (LMC) has been trying to align our calendar but the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted all the plans they have. I think and I believe we can still make it because if the league had started as planned and coupled with the #EndSARS protests, everything would have been sorted out because I know we were to start the league in October but the #ENDSARS challenge made it impossible. But from my investigation and what I have seen, I think we should be able to align our calendar with that of Europe.” Despite the fact that Lobi Stars were denied participation in CAF competitions through the Point Per Game (PPG) introduced by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Idoko called for support for Enyimba, Rivers United, Plateau United and Kano Pillars and wished them success as they navigate the continental challenge. He challenged the four clubs to put up decent outings to retain the two slots allocated to Nigeria in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederations Cup. “You know there is this Point Per Game (PPG) that they brought in which is alien to us and it knocked us out of so we are not in continental tournaments but we have Enyimba, Rivers United, Plateau United and Kano Pillars. All these clubs will be representing us in those competitions and we pray Almighty God to give them success, victory so that the slots Enyimba and Lobi Stars brought to get two slots each for CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup should be maintained. Our prayers are that all these teams represent Nigeria well when the competitions get underway,” Idoko said.