Major stakeholders in the Nigeria Professional Football League are to meet next week to resolve the uncertainty now surrounding the league’s season 2013/2014 kick-off date of March 7.
The meeting is expected to be used to resolve contentious issues regarding the kick-off date, which has now suffered some postponements.
Alloy Chukwuemeka, the Acting Secretary of the Club Owners Association, however said efforts were being made by the stakeholders to ensure the league competition begins on March 7.
The association is made up of representatives of the 20 Premier League clubs.
Chukwuemeka confirmed that the league organisers, the League Management Company, and the club owners have resolved to meet next week in Abuja “to harmonise certain issues”.
He added: “We are proposing next week for the meeting.
“We wrote the LMC a letter to choose a date for the meeting so that we can streamline things for a successful kick-off of the NPFL on March 7.
“The meeting was necessitated by the observations raised by some clubs.
“So, we want to present the challenges some clubs are having to the LMC for us to find a solution.
“But that should not stop the league from commencing on that date.
“We don’t want to be confrontational again.
“That is why we want to consult with the LMC on whatever we do.
“This is because whenever we quarrel, people see us (club owners and the LMC) as ‘comedians’.”
The issue may well be more than what the club owners’ association official has put across.
For instance, some state governments have refused to endorse for their clubs the registration requirements, as demanded by the LMC, for the new NPFL season.
Bashir Usman, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Sports, had expressed the fear that the state government might find it difficult to approve such requirements for Kaduna United FC.
The requirements included the provision of a Financial Performance Guarantee from approved a financial institution for the sum of N100 million during the current season.
Others are the provision of existing or new Salary Bank Account details opened for each player for the 2013/2014 season and an undertaking for the clubs to abide by the LMC rules.
The deposit of duly-signed copies of each player’s contract agreement forms, which must conform to the mandatory N150,000 minimum wage and other registration materials, is another difficult requirement.
However, Salihu Abubakar, the Chief Operating Officer of the LMC, said they were ready for the commencement of the new league season.
Abubakar said the league organisers had completed the procedures associated with the licensing of players and the inspection of 18 venues for the 2013/2014 league matches.
He said: “We are ready for the kick-off.
“We have done the licensing of the players and other necessary procedures for the season.
“We will let the public know the outcome of the stadium inspection as soon as the report is ready.”
It was gathered from the clubs that none of the 20 premier league clubs has registered for the 2013/2014 NPFL season as at Thursday.
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