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IMC issues new directive to NPFL clubs against match rescheduling requests
By Monsurah Olatunji
T he Interim Management Committee (IMC) have declined approvals to Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clubs seeking match requests for game rescheduling, stating that they will no longer grant such approvals.
No fewer than five matches has been rescheduledsince the start of the new NPFL season on January 8, 2023, with most games moved from Wednesdays to Thursdays, and some others rescheduled from the weekends to weekdays.
An Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) directive and a letter to the clubs signed by Davidson Owumi, the IMC Head of Operations, the NPFL organizing body feels a flood of rescheduling requests will endanger the integrity of the league, hence the outright decline.
The latest game week in the NPFL saw eight matches played on Sunday, January 22, with two other games scheduled to take place on January 24 and 25. The final matches of the game week three in the 2023 NPFL season will see defending champions Rivers United take on second-placed Niger Tornadoes in Group B’s remaining game.
Remo Stars, on the other hand, will welcome neighbouring Shooting Stars to the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Wednesday, in what will be the last game in Group A and a chance to go past leading Bendel Insurance.
“Consequent upon the directive of the NFF, there would be no more rescheduling of matches either for political or logistics reasons. The fixtures has to be strictly adhered to,” the circular reads.
IMC resultedon to explain that the directive is in response to a chaotic demand for fixture changes that if not checked could undermine the values of the league.
So far, the 2023 NPFL have recorded 56 goals across 28 matches, averaging at least two goals per match this season.
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