NFF postpones NNL Wednesday’s kick off

NFF President, Amaju Pinnick

By Amaechi Agbo

In as many times as possible, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has once again put a hold in the Nigeria National League programmes by cancelling its scheduled kick off of 2018/19 season on Wednesday.
In a circular made available this morning by the NNL image maker, Amar Ignis, the 2018/2019 NNL will no longer start on Wednesday 3rd April, 2019 as earlier scheduled.
“This is following recommendation by the NFF Football Committee which met in Lagos Sunday and ratified that the League will now start on Wednesday 10, 2019,” the statement read.
The statement which did not give reasons for the cancellation, further directed the Referee Committee to work out modalities on how to ensure fair officiating in the league and appealed to NFF to bail out the league pending when it gets a title sponsor.
“The Committee commended the NNL for concluding the League and setting a good pace in kick starting the 2019 League season.
“The Committee took a critical look at NNL submission on officiating, Referees indemnity, General Administration of the League relative to the NFF, CAF and FIFA Calendar and directed as follows:
“That the Referees Committee work out a modality of ensuring good officiating in the League .
“That the NFF should bail out the League financially to prosecute the League pending when the League gets sponsorship.”
It could be recalled that following NFF’s decision not to relegate teams to the NNL at the end of last season, the ‘most important’ league in Nigeria, NNL, lost its title sponsorship with Bet9ja, a development NNL chairman, Chidi Ofo Okenwa lamented would affect the league’s financial fortunes.
NFF cancellation of the kick of date will come as a shocker to the management of the NNL who, through its chairman, had assured Nigeria’s that the kick off date of Wednesday April 3rd, 2019 was sacrosanct and that the league would end on the first week of July.