Cybereagles

Controversy trails NFF’s decision to ‘accept’ NNL’s plans for 28-team NPFL
By Alex Monye
23 November 2018 | 3:57 am

Unless the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) stops the Nigeria National League’s (Second level league) plan to elevate eight teams to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), the country’s football could become the laughing stock of the international community, a member of the Club Owners Association has said.

The 2018/2019 NPFL is scheduled to kick off next month.

At the beginning of last season, the Nigeria National League (NNL) ruled that the two top teams in each group of the lower league would contest in a play-off to produce four teams that would be promoted to the elite NPFL.

According to the plan, the top two finishers in each of the two groups in each conference (North A1, A2 and South B1, B2) would meet to produce two teams each that would move to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

All the teams accepted the plan before the season kicked off. But since the NNL season ended about three weeks ago, the league body has not been able to organise the Super Eight play-off owing to many issues, including outstanding disciplinary matters before the body.

A source close to the NNL told The Guardian yesterday that it had become necessary to ‘move on’ because of the limited time left before the 2018/2019 season kicks off and the need to allow teams to plan their programme.

He said the NPFL rule granted promoted teams minimum of one month to prepare for the Premier League, adding if that would be followed “it therefore means that a quick solution must be found to the Super Eight issue.”

The 2018/2019 NPFL season has been abridged with two zones of 10 teams each, but adding eight more teams from the NNL means every zone will have 14 teams.

Rising from its executive meeting in Asaba on Tuesday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said it was waiting for the NNL’s decision on the Super Eight and number of teams to be promoted to decide how the NJPFL will run next season.

Part of the communiqué from the NFF meeting reads: “Following a presentation by the Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Chidi Ofo Okenwa, and a response by Mallam Shehu Dikko (LMC Chairman) to the effect that the issue of relegation/promotion between NNL and NPFL was a matter for the clubs to propose, it was resolved that the NNL board should be encouraged to hold a meeting with all NNL Clubs, after which an expanded meeting involving the NPFL and some NFF members (to be chaired by the NFF first Vice President) would take place, to determine the way forward for the promotion/relegation of teams in the NNL for the year.

“Board empowered the president to approve whatever propositions/decisions are reached at the expanded meeting for a way forward for the League.”

The member of the Club owners Association, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that accepting a 28-team league would ridicule the whole essence of the competition.

He said, “You will ecall that our league ended abruptly with Lobi Stars declared winners even when we still had more than four matches to play.

“No team was demoted against the rule of the game all over the world. The LMC accepted a 24-team NPFL next season to accommodate the four teams originally billed for promotion from the NNL.

“Now, we want to increase the competiotion to 24 teams when we don’t have the resources to manage a 20-team league. This is absurd.”

Already, the NNL has been divided into two zones with the original 20 teams in groups A and B with codes.

The NNL Congress will meet this weekend to decide what becomes of the Super Eight, as well as the format the next season will adopt.

https://guardian.ng/sport/controversy-t ... team-npfl/

Finally, Boko Haram, ND militants,Afenifere and cow herders will all have teams in the Npfl.

How practical is This?

Toxicarrow wrote:Controversy trails NFF’s decision to ‘accept’ NNL’s plans for 28-team NPFL
By Alex Monye
23 November 2018 | 3:57 am

Unless the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) stops the Nigeria National League’s (Second level league) plan to elevate eight teams to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), the country’s football could become the laughing stock of the international community, a member of the Club Owners Association has said.

The 2018/2019 NPFL is scheduled to kick off next month.

At the beginning of last season, the Nigeria National League (NNL) ruled that the two top teams in each group of the lower league would contest in a play-off to produce four teams that would be promoted to the elite NPFL.

According to the plan, the top two finishers in each of the two groups in each conference (North A1, A2 and South B1, B2) would meet to produce two teams each that would move to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

All the teams accepted the plan before the season kicked off. But since the NNL season ended about three weeks ago, the league body has not been able to organise the Super Eight play-off owing to many issues, including outstanding disciplinary matters before the body.

A source close to the NNL told The Guardian yesterday that it had become necessary to ‘move on’ because of the limited time left before the 2018/2019 season kicks off and the need to allow teams to plan their programme.

He said the NPFL rule granted promoted teams minimum of one month to prepare for the Premier League, adding if that would be followed “it therefore means that a quick solution must be found to the Super Eight issue.”

The 2018/2019 NPFL season has been abridged with two zones of 10 teams each, but adding eight more teams from the NNL means every zone will have 14 teams.

Rising from its executive meeting in Asaba on Tuesday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said it was waiting for the NNL’s decision on the Super Eight and number of teams to be promoted to decide how the NJPFL will run next season.

Part of the communiqué from the NFF meeting reads: “Following a presentation by the Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Chidi Ofo Okenwa, and a response by Mallam Shehu Dikko (LMC Chairman) to the effect that the issue of relegation/promotion between NNL and NPFL was a matter for the clubs to propose, it was resolved that the NNL board should be encouraged to hold a meeting with all NNL Clubs, after which an expanded meeting involving the NPFL and some NFF members (to be chaired by the NFF first Vice President) would take place, to determine the way forward for the promotion/relegation of teams in the NNL for the year.

“Board empowered the president to approve whatever propositions/decisions are reached at the expanded meeting for a way forward for the League.”

The member of the Club owners Association, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that accepting a 28-team league would ridicule the whole essence of the competition.

He said, “You will ecall that our league ended abruptly with Lobi Stars declared winners even when we still had more than four matches to play.

“No team was demoted against the rule of the game all over the world. The LMC accepted a 24-team NPFL next season to accommodate the four teams originally billed for promotion from the NNL.

“Now, we want to increase the competiotion to 24 teams when we don’t have the resources to manage a 20-team league. This is absurd.”

Already, the NNL has been divided into two zones with the original 20 teams in groups A and B with codes.

The NNL Congress will meet this weekend to decide what becomes of the Super Eight, as well as the format the next season will adopt.

https://guardian.ng/sport/controversy-t ... team-npfl/

TWENTY-EIGHT TEAMS? ALL IN ONE DIVISION?


Far too many. Fourteen teams should be the max unless they are shooting for one team per state which would be another stupid idea. And why does Nigeria find it impossible to run things smoothly wihout hiccups. Why not establish legally-enforceable rules and then compel all to adhere to them?
Bell

...And they forgot to mention the league was suspended indefinitely during the Pinnick/Giwa saga because they league was sympathetic to Pinnick.

fabio wrote:...And they forgot to mention the league was suspended indefinitely during the Pinnick/Giwa saga because they league was sympathetic to Pinnick.

That's the root of the problem. Inability to conclude the league and have the bottom-placed teams relegated led to this new idea of accommodating all teams through the temporary increase of the number of teams in the NPL.

Bell wrote:

Toxicarrow wrote:Controversy trails NFF’s decision to ‘accept’ NNL’s plans for 28-team NPFL
By Alex Monye
23 November 2018 | 3:57 am

Unless the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) stops the Nigeria National League’s (Second level league) plan to elevate eight teams to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), the country’s football could become the laughing stock of the international community, a member of the Club Owners Association has said.

The 2018/2019 NPFL is scheduled to kick off next month.

At the beginning of last season, the Nigeria National League (NNL) ruled that the two top teams in each group of the lower league would contest in a play-off to produce four teams that would be promoted to the elite NPFL.

According to the plan, the top two finishers in each of the two groups in each conference (North A1, A2 and South B1, B2) would meet to produce two teams each that would move to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

All the teams accepted the plan before the season kicked off. But since the NNL season ended about three weeks ago, the league body has not been able to organise the Super Eight play-off owing to many issues, including outstanding disciplinary matters before the body.

A source close to the NNL told The Guardian yesterday that it had become necessary to ‘move on’ because of the limited time left before the 2018/2019 season kicks off and the need to allow teams to plan their programme.

He said the NPFL rule granted promoted teams minimum of one month to prepare for the Premier League, adding if that would be followed “it therefore means that a quick solution must be found to the Super Eight issue.”

The 2018/2019 NPFL season has been abridged with two zones of 10 teams each, but adding eight more teams from the NNL means every zone will have 14 teams.

Rising from its executive meeting in Asaba on Tuesday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said it was waiting for the NNL’s decision on the Super Eight and number of teams to be promoted to decide how the NJPFL will run next season.

Part of the communiqué from the NFF meeting reads: “Following a presentation by the Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Chidi Ofo Okenwa, and a response by Mallam Shehu Dikko (LMC Chairman) to the effect that the issue of relegation/promotion between NNL and NPFL was a matter for the clubs to propose, it was resolved that the NNL board should be encouraged to hold a meeting with all NNL Clubs, after which an expanded meeting involving the NPFL and some NFF members (to be chaired by the NFF first Vice President) would take place, to determine the way forward for the promotion/relegation of teams in the NNL for the year.

“Board empowered the president to approve whatever propositions/decisions are reached at the expanded meeting for a way forward for the League.”

The member of the Club owners Association, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that accepting a 28-team league would ridicule the whole essence of the competition.

He said, “You will ecall that our league ended abruptly with Lobi Stars declared winners even when we still had more than four matches to play.

“No team was demoted against the rule of the game all over the world. The LMC accepted a 24-team NPFL next season to accommodate the four teams originally billed for promotion from the NNL.

“Now, we want to increase the competiotion to 24 teams when we don’t have the resources to manage a 20-team league. This is absurd.”

Already, the NNL has been divided into two zones with the original 20 teams in groups A and B with codes.

The NNL Congress will meet this weekend to decide what becomes of the Super Eight, as well as the format the next season will adopt.

https://guardian.ng/sport/controversy-t ... team-npfl/

TWENTY-EIGHT TEAMS? ALL IN ONE DIVISION?


Far too many. Fourteen teams should be the max unless they are shooting for one team per state which would be another stupid idea. And why does Nigeria find it impossible to run things smoothly wihout hiccups. Why not establish legally-enforceable rules and then compel all to adhere to them?
Bell

The intention is have teams divided into two groups - 14 each - and then have a playoff after the regular season to determine the winner.

nemi2002 wrote:How practical is This?

Here is how they intend to do it: When you add 8 teams from the lower division to the pool, each group would have 14 teams.
It's "do-able" if they can coordinate effectively and work out the details around the rules and
playoff format.

Toxicarrow wrote:

nemi2002 wrote:How practical is This?

Here is how they intend to do it:

When you add 8 teams from the lower division to the pool, each group would have 14 teams.
It's "do-able" if they can coordinate effectively and work out the details around the rules and
playoff format.

Also if they proceed with the above format and 28 team, each team will play 26 matches in the regular session instead of the current 38 matches. That might be cost-saving mechanism for several of the cash-strapped teams in the league. Only teams that make the playoff will have additional 4-8 matches, depending on the teams in the playoff format. My assumption is that the top 4 in each group will proceed to the playoff.

I thought the plan was to have 12 in each group. 4 teams will be relegated in each group. They will revert back to 20 for next season.

All because they lacked the will and integrity to abide by their own rules, they decided to bend the rule to accommodate their own mess.

oloye wrote:All because they lacked the will and integrity to abide by their own rules, they decided to bend the rule to accommodate their own mess.

So true...Oloye !

The NPL should be regionalised like the NFL. Perhaps have 4-6 local mini-leagues. Then the champions or top 2 teams of each mini-league would then advance to the play-off finals to determine the Nigerian champion. This would reduce travel costs for teams and improve safety. It would also give teams around the country something to play for and generate local football rivalries.

Travelling across the country to play El-Kanemi Warriors, Lobi Stars, Kano Pillars, Sharks, 3SC, MFM etc is hard in this era of Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed robbers, and AK47 wielding herdsmen lurking on the roads.

wiseone wrote:The NPL should be regionalised like the NFL. Perhaps have 4-6 local mini-leagues. Then the champions or top 2 teams of each mini-league would then advance to the play-off finals to determine the Nigerian champion. This would reduce travel costs for teams and improve safety. It would also give teams around the country something to play for and generate local football rivalries.

Travelling across the country to play El-Kanemi Warriors, Lobi Stars, Kano Pillars, Sharks, 3SC, MFM etc is hard in this era of Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed robbers, and AK47 wielding herdsmen lurking on the roads.

I disagree. It should be smaller if anything. There shouldn't be any promotion or relegation either. There should be 15-20 teams, including an U23 team that plays in the league and used for development of young players. At the end of the season there should be a round robin type play-off format: the first place team plays the forth placed team, the second place team plays the third placed team, the winners will meet in a final.

wiseone wrote:The NPL should be regionalised like the NFL. Perhaps have 4-6 local mini-leagues. Then the champions or top 2 teams of each mini-league would then advance to the play-off finals to determine the Nigerian champion. This would reduce travel costs for teams and improve safety. It would also give teams around the country something to play for and generate local football rivalries.

Travelling across the country to play El-Kanemi Warriors, Lobi Stars, Kano Pillars, Sharks, 3SC, MFM etc is hard in this era of Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed robbers, and AK47 wielding herdsmen lurking on the roads.

Excellent idea.

Or even add that a team gets to play one team from outside their conference. Maybe adopt the US style conferences.

So you want to eliminate competition and upward aspiration for clubs by removing promotion and relegation? What is the point of playing if you cannot advance up or down?

The only part of your post I agree with is adding a development division (for U21 players).

Mr. Piffington wrote: I disagree. It should be smaller if anything. There shouldn't be any promotion or relegation either. There should be 15-20 teams, including an U23 team that plays in the league and used for development of young players. At the end of the season there should be a round robin type play-off format: the first place team plays the forth placed team, the second place team plays the third placed team, the winners will meet in a final.

wiseone wrote:The NPL should be regionalised like the NFL. Perhaps have 4-6 local mini-leagues. Then the champions or top 2 teams of each mini-league would then advance to the play-off finals to determine the Nigerian champion. This would reduce travel costs for teams and improve safety. It would also give teams around the country something to play for and generate local football rivalries.

Travelling across the country to play El-Kanemi Warriors, Lobi Stars, Kano Pillars, Sharks, 3SC, MFM etc is hard in this era of Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed robbers, and AK47 wielding herdsmen lurking on the roads.

The NFL is only that way to accommodate travelling fans as the country is ginormous where as Nigeria is as big as Texas.Maybe the NPL needs a change of management!

wiseone wrote:So you want to eliminate competition and upward aspiration for clubs by removing promotion and relegation? What is the point of playing if you cannot advance up or down?

The only part of your post I agree with is adding a development division (for U21 players).

Mr. Piffington wrote: I disagree. It should be smaller if anything. There shouldn't be any promotion or relegation either. There should be 15-20 teams, including an U23 team that plays in the league and used for development of young players. At the end of the season there should be a round robin type play-off format: the first place team plays the forth placed team, the second place team plays the third placed team, the winners will meet in a final.

The focus should be on players and not teams in terms of advancement. If you talk about upward aspiration. Promotion and relegation would just see relegated teams lose fans, we don't have the European culture of home town support, for the most part we're glory hunters. I wouldn't like the European system of only 2 teams winning the league every year, it should be open to all, this is why I prefer the American sport system.

Not sure I follow your "the European system of only 2 teams winning the league every year" logic. I have never come across a European league where two teams won the league title.

Also - promotion and relegation (AKA playing in pressure situations) actually improves players as it aids their ability to improvise and use their skills when the stakes are high. If you remove promotion and relegation, you will turn the NPL into a glorified weekend kickabout.

Mr. Piffington wrote: The focus should be on players and not teams in terms of advancement. If you talk about upward aspiration. Promotion and relegation would just see relegated teams lose fans, we don't have the European culture of home town support, for the most part we're glory hunters. I wouldn't like the European system of only 2 teams winning the league every year, it should be open to all, this is why I prefer the American sport system.

Nigeria is giant in a different way: diversity and economics. For the average Nigerian, asking them to leave e.g. Port Harcourt to travel to watch their team play an away game in Kano is as seismic as asking a fan down in Florida to fly to Seattle to watch their team play there.

Eaglezbeak wrote: The NFL is only that way to accommodate travelling fans as the country is ginormous where as Nigeria is as big as Texas.Maybe the NPL needs a change of management!

ohenhen1 wrote:I thought the plan was to have 12 in each group. 4 teams will be relegated in each group. They will revert back to 20 for next season.

Ohenhen1,

You seem to be narrowly focused on the NPFL. Remember there are three tiers of league affected by the NPFL action not to relegate this year. Your solution ought to include the interest of those tiers.

If you relegate four from each of the two NPFL groups remember that next year it means drastically increasing NNL teams by 4. Do the math, bros! So you are seeing that NNL should now bear the cost for NPFL's bungling? Remember also that four teams are coming into the NNL every year via the Amateur tier.

Bros, it is not as easy as we think. I do not BTW support promotion of 8 NNL teams to the NPFL. However, I feel that the NFF ought to call a meeting of the administrative wings of all the three tiers to resolve the matter in a way that it meets the interests of all.

Olopade Predicts Doom for Domestic Football
December 27, 2018 1:58 am
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Bukola Olopade

SUPER 8 PLAYOFF

As the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) continues to maintain its stands over the proposed Super 8 playoff and a scheduled date for the commencement t of the next football season, former Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Bukola Olopade, has insisted having the playoff to produce four teams that will join the professional league rank NPFL is not the solution to the current challenges facing domestic football scene.

The former commissioner for sports in Ogun State, yesterday warned that the League Management Company (LMC) and Nigeria Professional Football League Club Owners should accept the initial proposal that promotes all the teams to join the 20 existing clubs in the top division to save the impending logjam.

Olopade who noted that NPFL management has breached an article in LMC statute by agreeing to prosecute the 2018/19 NPFL season with 24 teams whereas it was clearly stated in the LMC statute that only 20 clubs should participate in the NPFL league.

“The organisers, NPFL must also relegate four teams if they are to accommodate four NPFL in the 2018/19,” he argued.

He said further that “NNL equally has the right to reject demotion of eight teams at the end of the season if four NNL teams were promoted to the elite league from the beginning of the season,” he pointed out.

He insisted that if the Super 8 is played, the management of the leagues are merely postponing the doomsday in Nigeria football because the problem is not over yet.

“NPFL must also relegate four teams because at the end of the season eight clubs will be relegated to the NNL and at that time, NNL also has the right to reject and say they cannot accommodate eight clubs when they promoted four clubs.

“So, even if we solve this problem now by playing the Super 8, we are only postponing doomsday in Nigeria league because the problem will still face us at the end of the season.

“They said that the rule says four teams should be promoted from the NNL to the NPFL. But they have already breached an article in LMC statute which states that only twenty teams should prosecute the NPFL. Therefore, it is wrong for them not to relegate four clubs but wants four clubs to join them from the NNL to make the number of the clubs 24.”

Olopade in the heat of the crisis resigned as the CEO of the NNL citing breach of the agreement between the NFF and NNL.

NFF had in Asaba agreed to promote eight NNL clubs to the elite league which has made all the eight clubs released some of their players to recruit better legs in preparation ahead of the 2018/19 NPFL season.
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2 ... -football/

I think the best solution is to have a relegation playoff. The last eight teams in the standing should be broken into two groups. Relegate 4 teams, promote 4. Keep it at 20 teams.