NFF President, club owners finally agree to end match-fixing, poor refereeing in NPFL

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and club owners of Nigeria's top-flight league, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), have formed a consensus to tackle most of the problems that have beleaguered the league for years.

Identified problems such as lack of sponsorship, poor infrastructure, poor officiating, and winning matches based on the highest bids, have been earmarked as issues to be tackled immediately.

The tackling of these issues is expected to lead to a wholesale restructuring of the NPFL in accordance with international best practices.

This was the resolution from a meeting between the board of Nigeria's football governing body, the NFF, and the owners of NPFL clubs.

The high-level meeting, which was held on Monday, October 17, was chaired by the new president of the NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, and had in attendance 13 club owners including former NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima.

The NFF Deputy General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme and Ag. Director of Legal, Barr. Okey Obi were in attendance while club owners of Akwa United, Dakkada FC, Sunshine Stars, Gombe United, Lobi Stars, and Shooting Stars, amongst others, were also present.

According to a press statement made available to Pulse Sports Nigeria, the meeting produced five (5) resolutions as the club owners congratulated the newly-elected NFF President, Alhaji Gusau, and pledged their 'total support' to him and his Board.

The NFF Board and the club owners also agreed on a 10-point list of issues within the NPFL to be tackled immediately as itemised below:

a) Lack of Sponsorship

b) No TV Broadcast

c) Poor Officiating

d) Insufficient Funding

d) [sic] Lack of Match Integrity

e) Poor remuneration of match officials and huge indebtedness in this area

f) Matches won on the basis of Highest Bidder

g) Poor Infrastructure

h) Incompetent Administrators

i) No prize money for winners and/or failure to honour same, et cetera

The club owners also called on the new NFF Board to constitute a small committee of experts that will be charged with looking into the former League Management Committee (LMC) and the current Interim Management Committee (IMC) with a view to establishing a 'functional governance structure' for the NPFL.

The proposed changes are expected to birth a more 'beneficial football economy' for all stakeholders in the Nigerian Football industry.