Top NFF Official Reveals Why Nigeria League Has Not Started

Top NFF Official Reveals Why Nigeria League Has Not Started

By Niyi Busari

A top Nigeria Football Federation official who is in the know of the challenges facing Nigerian football league has said that the League Management Company, LMC, do not have enough money to organise and execute the 2018/19 Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The source who preferred his name not mention disregard the speculations that the disagreement between NPFL, LMC and the Nigeria National League Club Owners on how many NNL teams will promote to the elite league as the major reason why the league has not started, saying that lack of funds on the part of the LMC to start and run the 2018/19 NPFL season is the major reason why the league is yet to kick off.

"Do you know the LMC is still owing some referees who officiate in the AITEO Cup? The source asked BSNSports.com.ng reporter.

"If they have money to start and run the league, it would have started whether with twenty-four or twenty-eight teams in the Nigeria top-flight league. We are faced with many challenges, some of which are more than starting of the Nigerian league."

The impeccable source also expressed doubt on whether the league may hold as scheduled.

"The Super 8 is scheduled for January 3rd and the NNL Clubs that will play the game insisted that they will not honour Super 8 and if the play off do not hold, there wouldn't be four teams that will join the existing twenty NPFL teams."

"You see, we are at cross roads as there will be general elections in February and most of the clubs in Nigeria are owned by state governments."

The NFF has directed the LMC to start the league not later than January 13. And LMC on its part has rolled out calendar and fixtures for 2018/19 NPFL and Aiteo Cup season. The NPFL fixtures for the season is drawn to accommodate 24 teams.

The NFF which is the owner of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) had issued the license to LMC for the purpose of organizing and promoting the league to meet global technical and commercial standards.

The 2017/18 NPFL season ended abruptly at week 24. Then, LMC and NPFL Club Owners in a meeting agreed to pick the then league leader, Lobi stars as the country representative in the CAF Champions League and that no team will be relegated.

The Nigeria National League, on the other hand, had from the beginning of the 2017/18 season agreed in a Congress in Lagos agreed to play Super 8 which will produce four teams that will join Nigeria's top flight league.

However, at the end of the season, in a Congress by the NNL in Abuja, they announced proposing promotion of all eight teams from the four abridge leagues to the NPFL.