The chairman of the board of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Mr. George Aluo, has commended the performance of clubs in the first round of the 2023/2024 season of the NNL, promising that there will be stricter monitoring of clubs in the last stanza of the league.
Addressing the press on Thursday in Abuja, the veteran sports journalist said the second stanza of the league usually witnesses desperate behaviour by clubs that either want to gain promotion or escape relegation but the NNL board is adequately prepared to ensure a level playing field for all participants.
“The first stanza went well. Officiating was near perfect. Anytime there was any shortcoming, the board didn’t hesitate to act swiftly to show it wants a competitive league.
“Everybody is commending the NNL but the biggest challenge will come in the second round when clubs get desperate. So, we are preparing very well as we intend to redouble the efforts that have yielded positive results.
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“In the second stanza, we intend to continue taking some of the matches live. We have done live telecast of matches in Abuja, Enugu, Lagos and Jigawa.
“We will continue with it in the second round. Even when a match is not on TV, host teams should allow visiting teams to live stream the matches,” said Aluo.
The NNL chairman also gave the first week of March as the resumption date for the second round of the season.
On his part, the NNL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Emmanuel Attah, called on corporate organisations in Nigeria to sponsor the ‘most important football league’ in the country.
The former Super Eagles coordinator disclosed that a number of states and organisations have been approached for sponsorship and the ‘sky is looking bright.’
The league’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dr. Ayo Abdulrahman, also said a total of 193 matches were played in the first stanza, 383 goals scored with 27 away wins and 45 draws recorded.
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