***Holds draw for abridged NPFL new season
By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
To avoid a situation where match officials are owed backlogs of indemnities running into many years, the Interim Management Committee (IMC) says it has concluded plans to pay officiating officials match indemnities before they leave their abode for the scheduled matches.
This much was made public on Wednesday by IMC Chairman, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye while supervising the official draw
of the 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) abridged
season at Sandralia Hotel, Utako, Abuja.
Elegbeleye who spoke passionately about the desire of the IMC to get the once vibrant Nigerian league back on track after much delay to start the new season, said the IMC which replaced the defunct League Management Company (LMC) is determined to break away from the past by running the league in a transparent manner to benefit the players, clubs and other football stakeholders like the referees.
The former Federal House of Representatives member disclosed that prize money for the next winner of the NPFL will smile home with N100, 000, 000.00 while the IMC has concluded arrangement with one of the sponsors to warehouse fund for the payment of match indemnities to the officiating officials when the new season starts.
Said he: “I want to make it clear that we have decided to increase the prize money for the NPFL by 100%. We have also secured a sponsor, GTI to provide fund for the payment of match indemnities to the referees. We want to ensure that before any referee will leave his or her abode for scheduled matches , he or she would have been paid the match indemnities “.
He told Prompt News that IMC has opened a channel of communication with Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on ways to pay for the accumulated match indemnities owed Nigerian referees including Match Commissioners and Referee Assessors.
“It is quite unfortunate that match indemnities are owed by the past league managers but the good news is that IMC is exploring means and ways to commence the payment of these match indemnities in batches”, Elegbeleye revealed.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Sports Chief Sunday Dare representated by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Yola commended the IMC for its efforts so far to repackage the league and promise that the ministry will be readily available to give its support.
In the same vein, the NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusua represented by the NFF Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, expressed the federation’s satisfaction of the conduct of the IMC and promised to give it every support it requires to succeed.
Meanwhile, the IMC has held the draw for the 2022/2023 NPFL abridged league which will commence on January 8 across the country, just as the 20 clubs divided into two groups of 10 each will take part in the league with each club playing nine matches in all.
Also, two clubs from the same state will not play against each other in the league They are
Akwa United/ Dakkada; Abia Warriors/ Enyimba Int’l. and Gombe United/ Doma United respectively.
The draw which was conducted by two staff of the NPFL, Olugbenga Afolabi and Sunday Obaseki, first divided the teams into South and Northern before calling invited guests to draw the lot.
Those who picked the lot are former Super Eagles and Super Falcons including Austine Eguavoen, Victor Ikpeba, Ann Chiejine and Daniel Amokachi as well as Chikelue Iloenyosi, Chairman of Anambra state Football Association.
Members of the IMC who witnessed the draw are Elegbeleye (Chairman), Paul Bassey, Kunle Soname and Abubakar Lawal MD, GTI Group, the sponsors of IMC.
Some of the Week 1 Matches of
the Abridged League Format which will commence on January 8, 2023 the oriental derby between Rangers International of Enugu and Abia Warriors Football Club of Umuahia in Enugu and Akwa United versus
Bendel Insurance FC.
Team Draw Format
Northern Group
Niger Tonardoes -B
Kwara United- A
Nasarawa United-A
Plateau United-A
Gombe United-A
Doma United-B
Wikki Tourists-B
Lobi Stars-B
Elkanemi Warrior-A
Southern Group
Rivers United-B
Abia Warriors-B
Enyimba Int’l-A
Dakkada FC-B
Akwa United-A
Rangers Int’l-B
Bendel Insurance-A
Sunshine Stars-B
Shooting Stars-A
Remo Stars-A
Bayelsa United-B
………………………..
Group A Teams
…………………………….
Nasarawa Utd-A1
Enyimba Int’l-A2
Akwa United-A3
Bendel Ins-A4
Plateau United-A5
Shooting Stars-A6
Kwara United- A7
Gombe United-A8
Remo Stars-A9
Elkanemi W-A10
………………………..
Group B Teams:
Bayelsa United-B1
Dakkada FC-B2
Wikki Tourists-B3
Niger TonardoesB4
Doma United-B5
Sunshine Stars-B6
Rivers United-B7
Lobi Stars-B8
Rangers Int’l-B9
Abia Warriors-B10
