Niger Tornadoes Football Club of Minna spent N5.5 million on each home match the club played away from home in the 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League, an official has revealed.
Ibrahim Dada, Niger Tornadoes FC Chairman, made this disclosure on Friday during a meeting with sports journalists in Minna.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the club had in the past nine years played its home matches in the league away from its Minna home ground.
But it would return to playing its home matches at the Bako Kontagora Memorial Stadium on Sunday in Minna.
This was after nine years of sojourn at Kaduna, Ilorin and Lokoja at different times.
The club had been playing home games away from home because it failed to meet the standards required for its pitch by the Nigeria Professional Football League.
Dada said: “I am full of joy that we are returning to Minna because in order to execute a single match away, we had been spending N5.5 million.
“But we will not spend up to N2.5 million while playing at home in Minna.”
The Chairman explained that it was also stressful for the club’s handlers in terms of travel time.
“We usually have to travel four days before any of the away-from-home matches to Kaduna or any of the temporary home grounds to prepare for the game,” the club Chairman said.
He said hotel reservations for 25 rooms were usually made for players and officials and the minimum amount paid for each room was N15,000 per night.
Dada added that in executing the matches, they usually spent five days at the venue, while also feeding the players and officials.
He said: “We usually have to feed the 21 players, five coaches, seven support staff and pay stadium fees for every match.
“We will also pay for pre-match meetings, pay the Referees Association and take care of other logistics such as transportation.”
Dada then urged the media to help the club sensitise its fans and other members of the Minna public to the need to maintain peace before, during and after the matches.
Also Read:
- Elaine named Spotify EQUAL Africa’s Artist for October
- Aiyedatiwa sacks aide over alleged bribery, intimidation, orders probe
- Edo 2024: INEC denies obstructing inspection of BVAS, election materials
- Lagos-Calabar highway first phase set to be completed by May 2025, says Umahi
- Breaking: NNPCL increases price of petrol again
The club chairman said this was highly necessary in order for the club and its fans to keep to the new rules of the competition.
He said: “Once you violate any of the new rules of the Nigeria Football Federation and NPFL, your club may be sanctioned to play home matches away or made to pay a fine.
“But right now, we are happy to return home because in our league home advantage also counts.”
Dada expressed the club’s appreciation of the state government’s efforts in upgrading the Bako Kontagora Memorial Stadium to meet the NPFL standard.
