No fewer than five clubs boycotted their quarter-final matches of the on-going 2022 Aiteo Cup as they reportedly failed to arrive matches centres yesterday.
It was gathered last night that both Katsina United and Heartland who were scheduled to play in Ilorin both travelled to the Kwara State capital but didn’t play their game while Kogi United paired against Kano Pillars had to return from Makurdi as Kano Pillars failed to travel from Kano.
Niger Tornadoes, Lobi Stars, Wikki Tourists and Nasarawa United reportedly didn’t leave their various bases for the game.
The clubs had threatened to stay away from the game after realizing that they were playing for nothing after the Nigeria Football Federation submitted the name of Kwara United, the club that finished fourth in the Nigeria Professional Football League, as the country’s final representative in the CAF Cup competition.
In the past, the second slot in the CAF Confederation Cup was always reserved for the Federation Cup winners which was not the case this time around.
The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) had on Sunday confirmed Kwara United as Nigeria’s second representatives in the competition, ahead of the draw held on Tuesday in Egypt.
Remo Stars are the other team representing Nigeria in the Confederation Cup, while Rivers United and Plateau United play in the CAF Champions League.
The chairman of the NPFL Club Owners Association, Isaac Danladi, whose club is still in the competition, said according to reports that the NPFL clubs in the competition will have no other option than to withdraw from the Aiteo Cup if they failed to get a favourable response from the NFF as they had contacted them following the shocking decision to give the slot to Kwara United. .