The Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NPFL, Gbenga Elegbeleye has reacted to stories in the media that IMC directed NPFL clubs to vote on league format
In a phone conversation with Igulafrica.com, Elegbeleye said that the clubs were told to suggest two criteria to submit names for CAF club competitions, not for league format. He speaks about IMC’s conversation with the clubs.
“We want to end in May, please give us your own format that you want, any format that you give, we will accept it but we were asked to end the league in May, so that Nigeria can you along with international football calendar so that we can join the rest of the world.
They came out with two options: first option, when CAF asks for names of clubs, the top three or four would be submitted. Suppose you submit names and at the end of the league those three names submitted are not even among the first two.
Second option, they said those who represented us in the last [competition] before, four of them should go. If you’re a club chairman and you are not one of those four clubs, would you accept such? Your club cannot compete for honours, are you fair to your players?”
Club owners on Monday disagreed with the IMC on its decision to play an abridged league and said that majority of the clubs voted for a straight league and that their decisions should be respected.
The IMC has slated December 28, 2022 for draws and January 8, 2023 for resumption of the league.