…Club Owners welcome promoted clubs
The 2019 season of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) kicks off on Sunday, January 13 in various centers.
This followed the conclusion of the Nigeria National League (NNL) Play-offs in Aba with four of the eight clubs gaining promotion to the NPFL.
The promoted clubs are Insurance of Benin, Remo Stars of Sagamu, Kada City and Gombe United.
However, some of the opening day matches would not hold as scheduled and are to be rescheduled for a later date. The postponed fixtures are those involving the country’s representatives in CAF Club competitions and those involving the four promoted clubs from the NNL.
Following a mini-draw supervised by the LMC Chief Executive Officer, Hon. Nduka Irabor in Aba after the play-offs, Insurance took slot 1, Remo Stars in 2 while Gombe United and Kada City were in 3&4 respectively.
The mini-draw thus pitched Wikki Tourists against Insurance, Rivers United and Remo Stars, Yobe Desert Stars and Gombe United and Go Round FC to play Kada City.
Salihu Abubakar, the Chief Operating Officer of the League Management Company (LMC) announced the decision of the League body to shift the matches, explaining that, “the games involving the promoted clubs from the NNL are being shifted to give the club’s time to return to their respective bases and make adequate plans to play in the NPFL”.
“It’s only fair that the players be allowed time to recover from the rigours of the tournament they just participated in and they would join from Match Day 2 while a new date will be announced for the postponed fixtures”, added Abubakar.
The other postponed games are those between Lobi Stars and Katsina United and between Rangers International and Niger Tornadoes. While Lobi are playing in the CAF Champions League, Rangers are campaigning in the CAF Confederation Cup and both clubs are in action this weekend.
Below are the complete fixtures.
Meanwhile, the Football Club Owners Association of Nigeria (Club Owners) have welcomed the four clubs that gained promotion to the top flight of the Nations football league, the Nigeria professional Football League NPFL via the just concluded NNL super 8 play off to its fold.
The newly promoted clubs are Kada FC of Kaduna, Gombe Utd FC, Insurance of Benin and Remo stars FC as they joined the 20 premier league clubs to battle in the 24 team format abridged league for the 2018/2019 NPFL season.
According to a statement issued in Abuja yesterday (Wednesday) and jointly signed by the Chairman Barr. Isaac Danladi and the Executive secretary Alloy Chukwuemeka commended the NNL for the peaceful and transparent conduct of the Super 8 play off at the Enyimba stadium in Aba.
The Association appreciated the participants for their good conducts and the spirit of sportsmanship exhibited by the players and officials of the clubs and urged the promoted teams to come into the NPFL with the same spirit.
It assured the promoted clubs of total cooperation and fairness as they compete with top clubs in the nation’s biggest league, the NPFL.
Club Owners commended the leadership of the NFF for the matured and professional way it handled the heated atmosphere before the play off as well as the financial intervention to get the super 8 successfully concluded.
