The season long draw for the upcoming 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) campaign has been scheduled for Thursday, August 17, 2023 in Lagos.
The draw will see all twenty (20) clubs in the nation’s top division, including the returning trio of Kano Pillars, Katsina United, Heartland FC of Owerri and first timer, Sporting Lagos FC go into the same hat after all the major parties agreed to have a single format of 38 fixtures, www.ckdmedia.ng reports.
The newly inaugurated NPFL Board headed by Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, with Davison Owumi as Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chairmen of the twenty NPFL clubs at a meeting last week agreed to revert to the single format, rather than have for the second season running, an abridged league.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) thereafter rubber stamped the decision of the NPFL critical stakeholders and that paved the way for Monday’s announcement that the draw for the entire season will be conducted on Thursday.
Last season, an abridged format was adopted by the NFF and Interim Management Committee (IMC), in consultation with clubs in the elite division, largely due to time constraint and the need to synchronize the nation’s flight with the August – May European calendar.
Followers of the game were delighted that the League was able to bring back Supersport, doled out a whopping sum of N100 million as prize money to the Champions, Enyimba of Aba after a hugely successful Super Six that showcased the best attributes of the league to the world, via cable satellite television.
However, the NPFL Board has confirmed the postponement of the kickoff date of the season, earlier scheduled on August 27th by two weeks. The reason for this shift in date was sketchy but it seems to have been well received by the clubs and other main parties, and the season will now get underway on September 8th.
Aside Enyimba of Aba that won the title for a record extending ninth time, Remo Stars of Ikenne finished in 2nd spot, one spot better than the previous season and will together with the Aba Peoples’ Elephant represent Nigeria in next season’s CAF Champions League.
Dethroned Champions, Rivers United finished in 3rd spot and would have to recline to CAF’s second tier league, along with Bendel Insurance of Benin, who won the NFF Tingo Federation Cup to punch their ticket as the nation’s number one entrant for the Confederation Cup.
