Understanding the challenges facing the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) is essential to solving them, this is according to Chief Okey Kpalukwu, chairman Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Club Owners Association.
He made this assertion after coming out of a meeting with the Hon. Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh in Abuja on Friday.
Speaking on behalf of the clubs, the Rivers United chairman said he was delighted that Senator Enoh has enough information about the league and its challenges that will help in its growth.
“First and foremost, I want to commend the Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh for calling this meeting of critical stakeholders not just the NPFL but football as a whole in Nigeria. And listening to him reel out the problems, asking questions and seeking urgent and practical solutions to having our referees on continental and world stages means he has been well briefed by his team of advisers. This is indeed a good way to start by the Minister, ” stated the clubs’ boss.
On the appeal by the Minister for suggestions that will improve the lots of Nigerian referees and the NPFL, Chief Kpalukwu harped on the need to reduce the number of referees in the league which he considered bogus and the need for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Referees Appointment and Disciplinary Committee to always make public the names of match officials disciplined by it to send the right message to others.
“There’s the need to have the number of NPFL referees reduced to enable them to officiate enough games during the season to stand them in good stead to be picked by Confederation of African Football (CAF) for their games. Right now we’ve too many which leads to some of them officiating just a handful of games, this leads to lobbying by most of them which is not good for our league. In addition, let those found culpable of unprofessional acts be punished without delay,” he opined.
The NPFL board member also charged the NPFL to find a workable solution for home teams and states football associations to collaborate on the pertinent issue of having watertight security arrangement on match days to put an end to clubs being punished when there are lapses over issues they have no control over.
He advocated the importance of having experienced match officials who are retired with credibility to be appointed independent assessors who will report to the NPFL exact situations at match venues.
With the Minister at the meeting was the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Sports Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar. The NFF was led by its President Ibrahim Gusau, in company with 1st Vice President, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, and General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi. The NPFL board was represented by its chairman, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, Head of Operations, Prince Davidson Owumi, board member Alhaji Mohammed Nasir Saidu, board secretary and legal adviser, Barr Danladi Ibrahim and former Super Eagles star, Daniel Amokachi.
Others were the President, Nigeria Referees Association, Zubairu Sani, Chairperson NFF Referees Committee, Faith Irabor. While the NPFL Club Owners was represented by its Chairman, Dr. Okey Kpalukwu, General Secretary, Godwin Enakhena and Coordinator, Promise Nwachukwu.
