Clubs playing in the 2022/23 Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, will proceed on a three-week break at the halfway mark of the abridged league format season after this weekend’s match day nine matches.
The break will enable the clubs to refresh and enable players and officials to participate in the General Election 2023 scheduled for Saturday, February 25 and March 11 2023.
According to the Head of operations of the Interim Management Committee, IMC, Davidson Owumi, he confirmed the three weeks break after this weekend games but promised that the action will resume with more vigor after Nigeria general elections.
“Yes, I can confirm that the NPFL will go on break for three weeks after the match day nine games. We’ll resume after the Nigerian elections for the final stage of the abridged league.
“We are putting every effort to ensure that the league drives itself. It’s been hectic, but I think we have done well and if we get more sponsors and partners, the clubs and other stakeholders will benefit from it and the league will progress to the level we envisage.
“The IMC is discussing with DStv to return NPFL on cable TV, Supersport channels. I can confirm to you that we are making progress and very soon Nigerians and the world will be able to view more matches and attract more interest in the league, ” Owumi said.
On clubs getting a balance of N250 million from the IMC, Owumi said: “I cannot say with all certainty how much and when money will be paid to the clubs. It depends greatly on the extent of investment brought in by sponsors. It could even be double that, but it depends on what comes in.”
Owumi urged critics to be objective in accessing and analysing the NPFL and the IMC, stressing that objective criticism will spur the clubs, players, match officials and league managers to perform better.
He advised that critics should not personalise issues, noting that even the best leagues in the world are not perfect.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
