NPFL: Abridge league wins as IMC, Club Owners find common ground

By Olusola Adebayo

The NPFL Club Owners Association has settled for the abridged league as proposed by the Interim Management Committee, IMC as the two bodies find common grounds in setting the disagreement which threatens the commencement of the league on Sunday, 8th of January, 2022 www.234sportsng.com reports. 

The Club owners and the IMC entered into a marathon meeting on Wednesday night in Abuja, all through Thursday morning as both parties engage one another to resolve the disagreement that arises on the league format for the 2023 season. 

Our sources confirmed that they were able to reach a truce as both sides allow the interest of the game to prevail. 

" We were in a marathon meeting and I can confirm that the clubs are ready to comply with the format proposed by the committee but with a slight adjustment to what is on the ground as requested by the club owners".

Both parties have to shift grounds for the sake of football," our source emphasized

Consequently, the league will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday 8th January but with one of the scheduled games for the matchday.

We can confirm that only the Akwa United vs Bendel Insurance will go ahead on Sunday as other fixtures have been postponed by a week.  

This new twist is not unconnected with the stand of the 16 teams that are at loggerheads with the format as the IMC was magnanimous to give them a week to reset and plan for the new season kick-off.

Meanwhile, the IMC has disbursed a total of two hundred million nairas to the 20 clubs in a public ceremony in Abuja on Thursday afternoon.

GTI, one of the partners of the IMC, donated two hundred million with each club receiving ten million nairas as a take-off grant to begin the season with the chairman of the Club Owners Association, Isaac Danlandi and the chairmen of the other 19 other NPFL clubs in attendance.