Coaches, players recount travails of NPFL abridged season

The 2023 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season ended last Sunday at the Mobolaji Johnson Sports Lagos where former African Champions, Enyimba of Aba, edged out five other clubs in the Championship Play-Off to win their 9th NPFL title.

Although the season has come and gone, all the clubs that featured in it are still reeling in pain following the congested fixtures they faced in the regular and the just Championship Play-Off.

It will be recalled that the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NPFL had opted for an abridged format for the 2023 season to conform with the CAF and FIFA calendars.

Consequently, the 20 clubs in the NPFL were divided into two groups of 10 teams each for the abridged season which started on January 8, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

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At the end of the regular season, Bendel Insurance, Enyimba and Remo Stars qualified for the Championship Play-Off from Group A while Rivers United, Lobi Stars and Sunshine Stars picked the championship tickets from Group B.

The six qualifiers, therefore, met at the title deciding competition in Lagos from June 3 to 11. Enyimba came tops in the keenly contested Play-off on superior goal difference after they finished with nine points, same with their closest rivals, Remo Stars and Rivers United.

While Enyimba and Remo Stars have qualified to represent Nigeria in next year’s CAF Champions League, former champions, Rivers United will return to the Confederation Cup where they reached the quarter-finals in the just concluded edition.

Although it was a very challenging season for all the clubs that took part in the abridged 2023 NPFL season, the trio of Enyimba, Remo Stars and Rivers United may not feel the pains as much as those who laboured in vain.

The worst hit by the rushed season are El-Kanemi Warriors, Nasarawa United, Wikki Tourists and Dakkada who were relegated. They simply couldn’t withstand the strain of the abridged league.

However, there are more days in the Nigerian topflight for those clubs that survived the traumatic experience of playing as many as two matches in a week for most part of the season.

As they look forward to another season which may commence in August, some of the key actors in the NPFL spoke to Trust Sports on their experiences in the course of the tedious 2023 abridged season.

Lobi Stars’ dependable left-full back, Monday Akile, who played almost all the matches for his club said it was one of his worst experiences as a football player.

The Nigerian junior international said the matches came in quick successions making it practically difficult to recover before the next match.

“I am yet to recover fully from what I went through. I am sure other players in the league are feeling the same way. It was not easy at all.

“We were faced with too many matches which didn’t give us the opportunity to recover from knocks and injuries. Before we could catch our breath, we were on the road again to another match venue.

“At least we have sacrificed for the IMC to harmonise the league calendar so I am not envisaging another abridged season. The format is not healthy for the players,” he said.

The Technical Adviser of Niger Tornadoes, Abubakar Bala, said he does not give excuses for failure but maintained fatigue was among the reasons his club failed to qualify for the Championship Play-Off.

He said it was hard for him as a coach to conduct recovery sessions for his players. “The abridged season came with so many challenges, especially on the part of coaches and players.

“The boys were over-stretched. They played too many matches within a short period of time. We were constantly on the road. We had no space for recovery sessions.

“Look at the way we started the season. We defeated Wikki Tourists in Bauchi in our opening match and were determined to reach the Super 6 but in the end, we couldn’t make it because my young players got burnt out,” said the Olympic Eagles assistant coach.

After his team was beaten in the last match of the Championship Play-Off, the Technical Adviser of Lobi Stars, Mohammed BabaGanaru, blamed his team’s abysmal performance in the competition on injuries to some of his key players.

“We have not done well because most of our players picked up injuries and were not involved in the match against Sunshine Stars. We didn’t play at full strength,” he said.

The Technical Adviser of Doma United, Akinade Onigbinde, also lamented that congested fixtures contributed substantially to the failure of the ‘Savannah Tigers’ to qualify for the Championship Play-Off.

“We did our best but so many things worked against us. I commend my players because the pressure on them was enormous. Football is a contact sport. When you play so many matches and there is no time for recovery, players will surely sustain avoidable injuries,” said the former EFCC Abuja coach.

On his part, Plateau United assistant coach, Tunde Adedara, lamented over the road trips that his club faced and the pressure such long journeys exerted on the players.

He said “often we would leave Jos immediately after our matches to go and pass the night in the state nearest to our match venue. We then proceed the following morning to the venue of our match.

“For instance, anytime we were to play in Kaduna, we slept over in Abuja and proceeded the next day. We do the same when returning from away matches.

“Most times, we do this for the players to rest. Thankfully, the players understood and cooperated fully with the management,” he said.

Interestingly, the league organisers also acknowledged the travails of the clubs when the Chairman of the IMC, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, had a parley with the clubs at the end of the season.

“We ran an abridged format of the season to conform with the CAF and FIFA calendar which entails completing the league by May and June to start the new season by August

“We are not unaware of the strain on the clubs in terms of logistics and personnel. It is very well appreciated that you cooperated with us to complete the season,” he said.