Flykite Productions, organisers of the newly unveiled NAIJA Super 8 off-season club football competition, have dismissed suggestions that it was out to compete with the Nigeria Professional Football League Super 8.
The explanation on the tournament was offered by the organisers in a statement that was issued on Saturday.
In the statement, Flykite Productions explained that there is no division higher than the NPFL in the domestic game and suggestions that NAIJA Super 8 was in competition with the elite division-backed Super 8 were wrong and inappropriate.
They also noted that NAIJA Super 8 is open to clubs across divisions and not solely for NPFL sides, which owe their elite-level status to promotion and avoidance of relegation.
The statement explained: “The NPFL remains the top division in the domestic game, and there can be no competition whatsoever between NAIJA Super 8 and NPFL Super 8.
“There is the possibility of NPFL clubs participating in NAIJA Super 8, but clubs in the division are not the only ones to which the tournament is open.
“What NAIJA Super 8 aims to do differently is to give football fans the opportunity of making additional contributions to the football ecosystem by voting for teams that will participate in NAIJA Super 8, which seeks to complement NPFL Super 8 by providing additional opportunities for clubs.
“Some of the teams may end up being NPFL clubs. Some, almost certainly, will come from other divisions.”
NAIJA Super 8, billed to hold in Lagos from June 17 to 25, was unveiled on Wednesday at an event attended by prominent figures in the game.
Among these were Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, General Secretary, Nigeria Football Federation; Emmanuel Adesanya, Head of Operations, Nigeria National League; and Alhaji Mohammed Nasir Saidu, a member of the Interim Management Committee.
