UPDATE: NPFL abridged league raises hope, but…

When in October, 2022, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau inaugurated the Interim Management Committee for Nigeria’s flagship, the hitherto comatose Nigeria Professional Football League, not many expected the Honourable Elegbeleye-led committee to perform magic.

After its inauguration, the decision by the IMC to organise an abridged league was the first issue that sparked rash reactions from some club owners who threatened to withdraw from the league. But diplomacy and good reason prevailed and the IMC had its way.

Participating clubs were given N10 million each as take-off grants. So far, everything seems to be working seamlessly as the group stage of the season has reached the home stretch.

Assessing the season so far, former Chairman, Edo State Sports Commission, Barrister Dudu Orumen told Sports Vanguard that “it has been an interesting season so far; interesting results, with very few complaints about officiating and the issue of security.

“It does appear the league has been managed very well by the IMC.”

Orumen’s views were corroborated by ace sports presenter and former General Manager of defunct MFM Football Club, Lagos, Godwin Enakhena.

Said he, “It is one of the best seasons we have had in a long while in the Nigeria Premier Football League. Imagine all 20 teams getting N10m each as take off grants and the season started as scheduled.

“For the first time in a long while, teams were ducked points and goals in proven cases of attacks on match officials.

“Not left out are the match officials who were disciplined for poor performances, about 5 clubs are playing their games away from their homes because their stadiums are not good enough to host NPFL games and so much more.

“The 2022/2023 NPFL season will be remembered for the right reasons. Promises made and kept by the league IMC.”

A chieftain of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), Harrison Jalla agrees with Enakhena, “Considering where the IMC took off from – a dead NPFL under the Shehu Dikko-led League Management Company– the Elegbeleye-led IMC has completely repositioned the NPFL.”

The accolades on IMC were justified by the Group Sports Editor of the Sun Newspapers, Emma Jemegha. “So far, I will score the IMC high, say about 70% for being proactive when they are expected to take action.

“For instance, the outright points deductions meted out to some teams is a thing hitherto alien to the Nigerian league. But it has worked magic.”

The IMC has been able to restore some level of confidence in the league with teams winning and drawing matches away from their bases and the players feeling free and expressing themselves, anywhere.

Enakhena said the strict implementation of disciplinary measures have changed the narrative in the domestic league. “The referees have been put on their toes with the demotion of some to the lower divisions or outright removal from the lists of match officials for the rest of the season.

“All this has helped to restore sanity and is showing in the number of away wins and less complaints”

Jalla sees it differently. He attributed the improvement in officiating to prompt payment of referees’ indemnities by the IMC. “Games in the NPFL are no longer predictable. I am sure this has to do with the guarantee and prompt payment of match indemnities.”

Jemegha echoed, “officiating appears to be improving. You can have one or two isolated cases but I think the IMC is doing good in this area.”

Should the IMC continue with the ‘Abridged’ format, go regional or return to the usual 20-team format?

Saturday Vanguard Editor Onochie Anibeze is all for regional league, where clubs from the same region are grouped together and the first two qualify to compete with other regional champions in a Super Eight or Super Six championship to produce a national champion. This, he said, should be staged at a particular centre.

Anibeze averred, “My advocacy for conference leagues is based on the Nigerian situation – poor transport, bad roads, insecurity and our economy do not support a twenty team format.

“Conference leagues will eliminate long road trips and choked schedules, which inhibit smooth prosecution of the league by most teams.

“Imagine El Kanemi going to Aba to play Enyimba on Sunday and on Wednesday they are scheduled for a home match. How do they return to Maiduguri on Monday and play on Wednesday?

“It would be a lot easier if they took on Pillars in Kano or Plateau United in Jos. They could get home faster and prepare for the next match.”

He argued that a Super Eight or whatever name they call it would be more glamorous.

“It will be a football carnival and that would attract sponsors, which will translate to more money and quality football, as the players will be more motivated when the prize money is attractive,” he added.

Enakhena agreed with Anibeze. He said, “So much has changed in the NPFL this season and can only get better.

“Some of the teams fly to play their away matches these days and many more are doing the same.

“However I’ve been an apostle of some kind of regional leagues across board. The reasons are simple. Poor economy. 18 out of the 20 clubs in the NPFL are state governors who are grappling with the issue of paying salaries of civil servants.

“The issue of security is paramount with bandits, armed robbers and kidnappers all over; the bad roads are also an important factor that we have to consider and to maintain the present structure of two groups of 10 teams each and a Super 6 determining the winner of the league.”

But Dudu Orumen disagreed with Anibeze: “Super league is a Nigerian creation. It is alien to football. We know of the Super Cup between the winner of the league against Federation Cup champions.”

He said the advantages of the twenty-team national league are numerous, particularly from the commercial point of view.

 “Sponsors want to see many teams of the same level competing for one trophy. If there was a television license, that means they would be showing what the sponsors want as brand promoters want their brands all over the country – in Bauchi, Sokoto, Port Harcourt or Uyo and not be confined to a particular region. If you confine the league to regions then it is no longer a national league. It will lose the excitement, glamour and credibility.”

On the issue of long distant schedules, Orumen said, “we have always lived with it. “In gym parlance, it is said, ‘no pain no gain’. Long trips have been part of the system

Port Harcourt-based journalist China Acheru said that the IMC took into consideration the long trips that was why the season was abridged.

 “In a straight league a team has to play 38 games, they will be on the road 19 times, but in this abridged league, a team play 18 games with 9 home games, which means they have less number of travels to make. Whether we like it or not, the teams are travelling shorter distances.”

He also noted that the quality of play and competition have improved tremendously. “I have been impressed with what I have seen so far.

Jemegha, like Acheru and Orumen said the league must spread across the regions to call it a truly national league.

Said he, “Club managements should think outside the box. There’s nothing wrong with having a partnership with airlines, bearing in mind the bad nature of our roads. Moreover, you can’t get a true national champion by abridging the league.”

As the saying goes, how have the improvements in the league affected the goose that layS the eggs – the players?

Kennedy Onwunali CEO Wakawaka Sports Extra/ Head of Sports Global Fm Mbaise Imo State said, “That is the area I will like the committee to work on is making sure teams keep their obligations to the players who are the main actors.

“The home teams have, for the first time, understood that if they misbehave they will be punished. So far, I am in support of actions taken so far against teams that think they must win at home by all means.”

“Apart from meeting the contractual agreement with the players, the clubs should have good insurance and health packages. Salaries should be regular while bonuses and allowances be promptly paid. These will encourage the players to continue to give their best,” Jemegha enthused.