NPFL promises players’ salary review for 2025 season

Gbenga Elegbeleye, Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), has announced plans to review the minimum salary for players following the conclusion of the 2024/2025 season. Speaking during a roundtable with journalists in Akure on Tuesday, Elegbeleye emphasized the importance of transparency, credibility, and professional refereeing in attracting investors to the league.

“Starting next season, we will implement an upward review of players’ salaries,” he said.

Elegbeleye, a former Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), reiterated the league’s zero-tolerance policy for hooliganism and violence at match venues. He also highlighted the league’s progress in officiating, starting with the introduction of communication gadgets, which lays the groundwork for the eventual adoption of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

According to Elegbeleye, young referees will undergo training on VAR usage, adding that all Nigerian referees are graduates of higher institutions.

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He further assured stakeholders of the NPFL’s commitment to upholding standards and adhering to league rules without favoritism.

He pointed to the league’s enforcement of penalties, including point deductions and financial sanctions, as a means of discouraging violence and intimidation at match venues. According to him, “we have started with the reduction of three points from any erring team and financial punishment to ensure that the visiting teams are not intimidated.

“Since we started reducing three points it is the home teams that are now protecting away teams. The home team must win syndrome has reduced drastically, on match day one of the current season, we recorded no fewer than four away wins.

“We must insist on the rule and not compromising the standards to get it right. There are lots of investors who are ready to partner us for the growth of the league.” Elegbeleye noted.

The NPFL Chairman also emphasized the importance of checks and balances to foster growth in the league. “There are many investors ready to partner with us to elevate the league. By adhering to the rules and maintaining transparency, we can get it right,” he said.