Second round matches of the 2016/17 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) has now been scheduled to commence on Sunday, May 21, a shift from the earlier scheduled date of May 7.
Salihu Abubakar, the Chief Operating Officer of the League Management Company (LMC) in a notice to clubs communicating the new date, explained that it was to allow Rangers International and Rivers United complete their rescheduled fixtures.
“We also have deemed it right to accommodate the State Federations Cup finals which obviously will feature some of the NPFL Clubs”, Abubakar added.
Following their drop from the CAF Champions League to the CAF Confederation Cup, Rangers and Rivers United had a number of fixtures rescheduled by the LMC and the dates have dragged beyond the midseason break.
“We didn’t think it would be appropriate for the clubs to carry over their first stanza fixtures into the second round”, the LMC official noted.
Rivers United will on Wednesday, May 3 host Remo Stars while Rangers play in Enugu against Plateau United in some of the rescheduled games.