EMMA JEMEGAH
The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) will resume in July, with the League Management Company (LMC) getting the go ahead to restart the season and jettisoning the proposed Point Per Game (PPG).
Daily SunSports gathered authoritatively that the NPFL would go ahead with the teams playing all remaining matches including those with outstanding games before the suspension of the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the source did not indicate how the matches would be played, especially taking into consideration the Federal Government’s interstate travel ban, he nonetheless said the position of the Youth and Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, is that the NPFL will resume next month while all other leagues; the Nigeria National League, the Nigeria Nationwide League and the women’s league have been officially declared ended.
It was gathered that the Nigeria Club Owners had proposed for the NPFL to end with the PPG while no team would be relegated but our source in the ministry said the minister was not favourably disposed to the idea, considering the litigations that had dogged the French Ligue after the country’s football body announced the abrupt conclusion of the season.
It was also not clear whether the teams will gather in a city to play the proposed Super 6 initially propounded by the chairman of the LMC, Mallam Shehu Dikko. It would be recalled that Benin, Edo State capital was mooted as venue for the proposed Super 6, raising concern how the league body would cope with the influx of players and officials of all the six teams in the face of the rampaging coronavirus pandemic.