NPFL: Sporting Lagos host Gombe as Chukwu welcomes Match Assessors

Sporting Lagos will a have taste of life in the Nigerian topflight on Monday, when they host Gombe United in their first-ever Nigeria Premier Football League game at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onika, Lagos.

The match-day one game will usher the club into the list of Lagos clubs to have featured in the Nigerian league after gaining promotion from the Nigeria National League earlier this year. They played just two seasons in the second division.

The last team from Lagos to feature in the NPFL was MFM FC who were relegated in 2022.

Coached by former Warri Wolves assistant coach, Paul Offor, the club has had a busy pre-season, adding former NPFL top scorer, Junior Lokosa, to their ranks among other new signings.

The club also famously won the Naija Super 8 off-season tournament, where they defeated Remo Stars on penalties in the final. They also recorded victories against Enyimba and Akwa United.

Ahead of their first NPFL game against Gombe United, the captain of the team, Vincent Akpipi is confident.

“We know we have to be ready and we are ready. We are very prepared for the new season. We know the NPFL is tough but we believe our hard work as a team will help us achieve our objective this season,” the player told The Punch correspondent.

After the Gombe United opener which kicks off by 4 pm today, Sporting will be on the road on match-day two to face Akwa United in Uyo.

Meanwhile, the Technical Director of Rangers FC of Enugu, Christian Chukwu, has said that the introduction of secret match assessors by the League Management Company (LMC), to monitor referees at league venues, will go a long way in improving the standard of the Nigeria Football Professional League (NPFL). The league kicked off across various centres in Nigeria at the weekend.

Chukwu stated that bringing secret match assessors to monitor league matches would reduce the act of poor officiating by some referees in the NPFL. The ex-Super Eagles coach noted that one of the reasons the NPFL has not been getting the respect it deserves in recent times was because of the poor conduct and decisions made by some referees.

“I commend the management of the NPFL for involving secret match assessors to monitor games at league venues. I am happy for the introduction.”

If this process works out, it will go a long way in making corrupt referees do their job in the right way. Nigeria's league has not been running so well due to poor officiating. It is embarrassing that this ugly act is also reflected in world championships as Nigerian referees are hardly recognised to officiate international games by FIFA and CAF,” he said.

Chukwu revealed that Rangers FC has been prepared long ago for the league season.

“Thank God the league has kicked off. My players are ready. However, we are playing our games at another venue based on the fact that our stadium is not ready yet. But that will not affect the team performance in any way.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the LMC, Davidson Owunmi, told The Guardian at the weekend, that the salaries of referees who are officiating in NPFL have been increased to ensure all match officials deliver their duties diligently.

He revealed that LMC did not introduce a secret match assessor to the NPFL to witch-hunt any referee. “Our goal is to maintain a high level of integrity in officiating in the Nigeria league. Video Assistance Referee (VAR) is used in the English Premier League (EPL), and that does not mean the referees in the EPL are not reliable. All we are doing is to improve the standard of the NPFL by involving a

secret match assessor,” Owunmi said.