Rivers United enjoying another spell of fixtures accumulation

Without any doubt, one of the recurring problems in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) is fixtures accumulation for clubs that are taking part in continental competitions. This is one practice that may not be intentional, but over the years, it has placed some clubs in advantageous positions over their rivals in the NPFL.

Over the years, the big clubs like Enyimba and Rivers United have been the biggest beneficiaries of this practice that has come to stay due to the failure of the league organisers to reschedule matches in good time to avoid any unnecessary backlog. Once they qualify to represent Nigeria in the continent, the ‘continental clubs’ chances of qualifying again in the following year become really high, especially if they manage to reach the group stages. This, however, is not limited to Enyimba and Rivers United as any other club that picks continental tickets and can survive the preliminary stages is bound to benefit from the avoidable match accumulation.

However, it must be said unequivocally that fixtures gathering due to continental engagements of some NPFL clubs is an indirect way of robbing rival clubs of the league title because outstanding matches make it possible for those lucky clubs that had accumulated them to easily leapfrog even those who were in prime positions to win the available continental tickets.

It is, for this reason, that even as the likes of Remo Stars, Doma United and Lobi Stars are leading the table presently, the top of the table will change dramatically once Rivers United play their outstanding matches. Once matches are accumulated in the NPFL, the beneficiaries do everything humanly possible to win. Whether they play home or away, they see the outstanding matches as the gateway to another continental ticket. Therefore, they stop at nothing to keep mopping up the points.

At the moment, Rivers United are 17th on the log with 15 points from only 10 matches, while the table topping Remo Stars have 29 points from 15 matches. Only nine points are separating Remo Stars from Rivers United but the ‘Pride of Rivers’ who need only nine points to catch up with the Ikenne based side have a possible 15 points waiting to be picked up. So, by the time Rivers United would play their five outstanding matches, clubs like Doma United, Lobi Stars, Insurance, Enyimba, Plateau United, Kano Pillars and Abia Warriors would be in serious trouble. Being in possession of five outstanding matches is no doubt a big advantage to Rivers United.

Well, Rivers United supporters will argue that their darling club is not to blame for the accumulated fixtures because it is not possible for the club to prosecute the Confederation Cup and NPFL matches simultaneously. Since continental matches supercede local competitions, it behoves on the NPFL to postpone matches involving Rivers United once they fall within the same period. Rivers United are not the first to be given this preferential treatment. It is the right of all clubs that are participating in continental competitions.

But the argument by most people is that in as much as continental matches supercede domestic league games, the NPFL can avoid fixtures accumulation for ‘continental clubs’ by promptly rescheduling matches involving them. Once this is not done, it will give undue advantage to certain clubs. Yes, if Rivers United have one or two outstanding matches, nobody would have raised eyebrows but now that it is five at the time of press, it is necessary to complain before it gets worse.

Of course, the NPFL may have its reasons for not rescheduling matches as promptly as expected but no reason should be too strong to deny other clubs a level playing field. Once there is a big difference in the matches played by clubs, there is bound to be an uneven field. Apart from Rivers United, Enyimba also have two outstanding matches. Plateau United have one same with Rangers, 3SC, Sporting Lagos, and Katsina United. However, it has become necessary to raise the alarm on Rivers United because five outstanding matches in their kitty are already giving them a serious advantage over the rest of the clubs.

Apart from the fact that outstanding matches give advantage to the clubs that have accumulated them, it is harmful and capable of breeding confusion like it happened in the 2019/2020 NPFL season when Plateau United, Enyimba and Rivers United were handed the continental tickets when the league ended abruptly. When the league organisers decided to use the controversial Points Per game (PPG) formula, it favoured the three clubs that had played lesser number of matches at the time of the termination of the season due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lobi Stars, who were in pole position to clinch the title, protested vehemently, but the then League management Company led by Alhaji Shehu Dikko stuck to its guns to end the season in that manner. 

PPG is the average number of points scored by a team per game over the course of a series of games. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by the number of games played.

I, therefore, want to appeal to the league organisers as a matter of urgency rescheduling Rivers United and the other clubs’ outstanding matches to avoid giving undue advantage to anyone. It is high time the NPFL stopped making it easy for certain clubs to have easy ride to continental tickets. If this timely warning and advice is not taken, it will be very easy for Rivers United to return to the continent at the end of the current season. Even as they are currently in relegation waters, three victories from the outstanding matches will place them among the table leaders.

NPFL must not wait until Rivers United exit the continent to begin to reschedule their matches. Indeed, after their 0-3 bashing in the hands of Tunisian giants, Club Africain, last Thursday, Rivers United are already at the brink of exiting the continent. They have dropped to the third position on the table, but victory over Academica Peteroleos do Lobito of Angola in February will revive their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals again. But if they fail to return their campaign on track, then it will be all over for Nigeria as far as this year’s CAF interclub competitions is concerned.