Shooting Stars set sights on NPFL 2023 title after receiving pre-season tourney prize

Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side, Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) has shifted its focus on winning the league title at the end of the 2022/2023 season.

The Ibadan-based side recently clinched the maiden NPFL-Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup title with a 3-2 win over two-time African Champions, Enyimba International Football Club and 3SC Chairman, Chief Babatunde Olaniyan said the team is motivated to win the league title with its recent success.

Olaniyan stated this after picking up the N100 million cash prize for the first NPFL-Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup Pre-season Tournament in a brief ceremony put together by the Interim Management Committee of NPFL led by Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye on Tuesday in Abuja.

“We are encouraged to go all out to win the NPFL title this season by our victory at the pre-season tournament held in Lagos. We hope to build on the success of our win. Beating Enyimba in the final game is heartwarming and I am optimistic we can win the league title,” Chief Olaniyan said.

“Our appreciation goes to IMC and the sponsor of the tournament Dozy Mmobuosi for investing in football and I pray they continue and reap the rewards of their investments. ”

Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), Honorable Gbenga Elegbeleye feels that IMC purposefully used the maiden NPFL-Dozy Mmobuosi Super Cup Pre-season Tournament to prove a point that the league can attract sponsors and partners.

“We also want to show Nigerians that administrators of the game can be trusted,” said the former Director General of the National Sports Commission.

“We at IMC want to make league clubs financially buoyant and more competitive to attract and keep quality players and enhance better management of the league. We want a situation where the least paid player in the league earns about N1 million monthly.”

Elegbeleye said the IMC has been able to source money to pay match officials’ indemnities for the entire season adding that the IMC is doing everything possible to deliver a hitch-free season and produce winners that will do Nigeria proud in the continent.

The IMC is expected to meet with 20 NPFL clubs on Wednesday in a parley to formalise the kick-off date for the 2022/2023 league season.