After seven months hiatus, the 2022/23 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season kicked-off with a single game last Sunday at the ‘Nest of Champions’, Uyo where returnees Bendel Insurance caused a major upset by beating hosts Akwa United 2-0.
The remaining week one fixtures will be played this weekend across the approved match venues to signal the full commencement of the 2023 NPFL season.
As it has become the norm, this season too couldn’t resume at the same time with other leagues across the world because of several factors which included the sudden scrapping of the League Management Company (LMC).
It will be recalled that a few weeks after the 2021/22 season ended, the LMC which is the organization that governed the NPFL for nearly 10 years, was disbanded by the Federal Government in September.
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The Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development had stated categorically that the LMC was “illegal” and not recognized by the Federal Government.
The sports ministry, therefore, set up an Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by a former Director General of the defunct National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon, Gbenga Elegbeleye, to reposition the elite league.
Following the controversies that greeted the decision to scrap the LMC, it took the new league body a long time to put its acts together for the new season to resume.
One of the biggest challenges the committee faced was getting the 20 clubs to accept its decision for an abridged league format to be adopted for the 2023 NPFL season.
The IMC said only an abridged league would end in time for the domestic to start the 2023/2024 season in August at the same time as the advanced football leagues in the world.
Although most of the clubs threatened to pull out of the league, the timely intervention of the NFF president, Ibrahim Musa Gusau and other stakeholders in the face-off helped in resolving the contentious issue.
In a bid to douse the tension as well as assert his authority, Gusau defended the decision made by the IMC as he said “The issue of playing an abridged league is a child of necessity. We are talking with people that are going to bring money into the league and they want us to make sure that at least we take back our league to the way it is being run in other parts of the world.
“Therefore, we need to take certain actions before we can get there. Ending our league in May does not mean it stops there. That is not the only issue. The issue here is that we must start next season by August. There is no going back about it.”
The peaceful resolution of the matter paved the way for the league to officially resume last Sunday in Uyo, the home town of one of the IMC members, Paul Bassey who is also the Chairman of Akwa United.
However, even as the new league season will come alive fully today with the remaining Week One matches, it is not yet uhuru as the IMC while hurrying to get the league started, had failed to tackle some of the perennial problems that have continued to bedevil the domestic league.
For instance, over the years, Nigerians have been unable to follow the league on television due to lack of sponsorship. When the IMC took over, the body declared that the league was going to be shown live on NTA
Elegbeleye said that the IMC had obtained sponsorship that will facilitate live broadcast of some of the matches. However, on the opening day of the 2023 NPFL season, expectant football fans across the country didn’t get exactly what was promised them.
The Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) had to finish showing a live programme of commercial value before switching over to ‘Nest of Champions’ for the second half of the match between Akwa United and Bendel Insurance.
Because there is no second chance for a first impression, some Nigerian football fans instantly concluded that this season too is not going to fare well in the area of live broadcast of matches.
Elegbeleye, however, is optimistic that the 2023 abridged season of the NPFL will be telecast live to viewers across the world.
“We already have a lot of sponsors who will make it possible for the league to be broadcast on TV. We must still brief the NFF on sponsorship, though. I can tell everyone that the league this season will be superior than what we are accustomed to,” he insisted
To keep to its commitment to make the league viable and TV friendly, some clubs have banned from playing on their home turf as they failed to meet the club licensing requirement.
Furthermore, despite the hard stance of the IMC on club licensing as a prerequisite for participation in the league, not all the clubs have complied fully.
Seven times champions, Rangers, Lobi Stars, Nasarawa United, Kwara United and Niger Tornadoes will play their home matches away from home and have been given alternative venues, based on the approval of the IMC.
Apart from having substandard playing pitches, almost all the clubs have been unable to show sufficient proof of full compliance with remuneration and other welfare packages for their players and officials as stipulated.
A former Enugu Rangers Team Manager, Barrister Amobi Ezeaku, has provided noteworthy advice to clubs on the importance of taking club licensing regulations seriously as they serve as the foundation of contemporary football worldwide.
“The clubs must take club licensing regulation seriously. Club licensing is at the root of modern football.
“In north Africa and Europe, club licensing regulates the game so you must make sure you meet the infrastructure criteria, make sure you meet the persona administrative criteria, the stadium criteria and the financial criteria for you to play”
“Clubs should stop paying lip service. Your players must be insured. It’s not rocket science you have to look inwards.
“You have to look at the roots and do what you ought to do. This is a new era for Nigerian football. If we get our league right, every other thing will be working right,” he told Trust Sports.
