By Wale Mustapha
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has announced that coaches who boycott post-match interviews will face disciplinary action, including fines and possible touchline bans.
Chairman of the NPFL Board, Gbenga Elegbeleye, made the declaration during a meeting with match commissioners in Abuja.
He emphasized the importance of media engagement and instructed officials to enforce compliance.
“We expect reports of compliance or not from you, as any defaulting coach will be sanctioned,” Elegbeleye said.
“Any coach who fails to attend the post-match interview with the media stands to be fined, and such fine must be paid before the next game or the coach will not be allowed on the bench,” he added.
Elegbeleye urged match commissioners to ensure that both teams provide their coaches and selected players for post-match media duties.
The enforcement of this policy comes ahead of Matchday 36, which is set to be played across 10 venues on Wednesday.
Remo Stars have already secured the league title with three matches to spare, while Lobi Stars have been relegated to the lower division.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
