The Association of Nigeria Premier League Club Chairmen and Managers (Club Owners) has commended the leadership of the League Management Company LMC led by the Chairman, Shehu Dikko who doubles as the 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, for the unprecedented successes recorded in the Nigeria professional football League NPFL this season.
Rising from its executive meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja, the Association described the just concluded NPFL season as one of the best in the history of professional football in Nigeria and praised the efforts of the LMC board and other stakeholders for the great achievements and progress in the Domestic league.
The Association in a statement jointly signed by the Acting Chairman, Isaac Danladi and the Secretary Alloy Chukwuemeka further expressed confidence in the Dikko-led board of the LMC as well the six members of the Club Owners who serve as members of the LMC board.
Club Owners specifically appreciated the various workshops and Seminars organized for her members locally and abroad by the LMC aimed at increasing their administrative capacity, with the latest being the Sportspro Workshop held at the Lagos Business School, which was attended by the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung .
Meanwhile, all the 20 members of the Club Owners are set to travel to Germany for yet another capacity building workshop to understudy the Germany Bundesliga League ahead of the upcoming season even as the general meeting of the Association holds next week in Abuja to fine tune the trip to Europe, review the just concluded season and suggest the way forward in order to consolidate on the achievements recorded.
The Workshop is expected to help the Nigerian football league Club Managers to study the workings of the German League as well as its model of Community ownership of Clubs, as a way of adapting, adopting and transforming from government ownership and control of football clubs in Nigeria to community based ownership.
In another development, the Club Owners have expressed appreciation to the Governors of Abia state Okezie Ikpeazu, Akwa-Ibom state Emmanuel Udom, Benue state Samuel Ortom, Plateau state Simon Lalung and the Deputy Gov. Of Nasarawa state Silas Agara for honoring the final League match and the final match of the Federation cup respectively held in Lagos.
The Association also extended its goodwill message to the Chairman Senate committee on Sports, Obinna Ogba and Senator Godswill Akpabio for witnessing the final match of the Federation Cup which involved two member clubs of the Association Lobi stars FC and Akwa United FC.
Club Owners specifically commended the Governor of Akwa-Ibom state Emmanuel Udom for rewarding his victorious team with huge cash awards and houses, just as it enjoined other Governors to emulate him by appreciating their clubs that won laurels for their respective states.
On the isolated cases of non-payment of Players’ salaries by few of the league Clubs, the Club Owners said it had received latest information that the affected Clubs have commenced the process of off -setting the debts, which it blamed on the global economic downturn, occasioned by the fall in oil prices which affected the revenue of some of the states that own clubs in the League.
