Tag: LMC

• Plans to take Premier League games to Friday, Sunday ahead of new European seasons
• Sets for talks with broadcast partners to increase number of live matches

League Management Company(LMC) Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko has told SportingLife that the league body is planning to ensure that the resumption of European league actions do not disrupt the attendance at match venues.

Dikko told SportingLife that LMC has  already fixed some league matches for Fridays and Saturdays so as to allow keen watchers of the European leagues to have Sunday for it.

The LMC boss revealed that the league body is mapping out strategy to make the league more vibrant and to also attract as many people as possible to match venues as witnessed in the first stanza of the ongoing 2014/2015 league season.

Mallam Dikko also noted that the LMC is discussing with the broadcast partner of the league to ensure that more matches are beamed live to Nigerians as an improvement on the single live match.

He said the LMC would be more than happy to feature three or four live matches weekly to increase the acceptability of the local league and to ensure that attention gradually shifts from European leagues.

Dikko affirmed that the league’s second stanza would commence as earlier fixed on Saturday and that Week 20 matches are to go ahead as scheduled on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

The league’s helmsman also pointed out that the LMC is planning to invite all media officers of various clubs to Abuja for seminars where they will be enlightened on their role as the mediator between their clubs and the public.

“The LMC is planning so many exciting things to make the second stanza of the league more vibrant than the first. We are going to be having league matches on Fridays and Saturdays to counter European league matches that are played on Sundays.

“We are also looking at having more than one live game and we are in discussions with our broadcast partner to ensure that we have up to three or four league matches that are beamed live to Nigerians.”

Dikko also pointed that the LMC will send inspection teams to various league venues that were banned from hosting games before they are certified to host games this second stanza.

The League Management Company on Tuesday opened a new corporate office in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

A 48 –unit structure situated in the highbrow Maitama district, the office comprises of an Executive Floor that houses offices for the Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Operating Officer (COO), waiting room, work -station and IT Unit.

Also part of the building is the Trophy Room, a well –furnished Conference Room and offices for members of staff.

Speaking at the official opening of the well –appointed edifice, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, who was in company with some of his Board Members, said the Nigeria football family is proud of the LMC, as the body has been able to re-define, re-discover and re-build the Nigeria League.

“Apart from youth development, the focus of the present NFF administration is to ensure proper running of the Leagues. Surely, but slowly, all the Leagues are heading to that ideal point.

“This building is the first of its kind in West Africa. We are proud of the LMC and what it has achieved in the short time it has been in existence.”

The League Management Company (LMC) has confirmed they will make changes to the dates of league games due to the forthcoming European league seasons.

Most European leagues resume in August, a development which the LMC feels will affect fan turnout at local league games, and have decided to change some of the dates so they won’t clash with games from the European leagues.

“The European leagues are starting very soon so we cannot be playing all our matches on Sundays,” LMC chairman, Shehu Dikko told News24.

“We have to differentiate the dates so we can get fans to come and watch games and we are even looking at introducing night games but the problem we have is the lightings at the stadiums.

“But we will try and we may even have our best games on Wednesday or Friday nights and that will encourage the fans to go out to the stadiums and watch the games.

“We have to work to keep the momentum of the fans going and that is what we are going to do,” Dikko stressed.

The Nigerian league has recently recorded improved spectator turnout at most of the games, but with the big European leagues, especially the English Premier league set to commence, the LMC fear that may shrink the number of fans that turn out for games.

The proprietor of FC Ifeanyi Ubah, a Nigeria Premier League Club side, Ifeanyi Ubah has commended the leadership of the Nigeria Premier Football League for their efforts in sanitising the league, and ensuring that it competes favourably with other Leagues world wide.

Ubah who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday while receiving an award from the Board of the FCT Football Association said: “I want to commend the leadership of the Nigeria Professional Football League for giving all the teams a level playing ground to compete in the league. You can see that with the proper organisation that they are putting in place, any team that plays well, goes ahead to win a match. This is the best thing that is happening to the game in the country, and if we will go ahead to sustain this, our League would be comparable with what is attained elsewhere.”

He was full of appreciation to the FCT FA for recognising his efforts in empowering the youths through the game of football, he said he is encouraged to do more for the game in country. Earlier, the Chairman of the FCT FA Musa Saeed Talle has said that the award is in recognition of Ifeanyi Ubah’s efforts in empowering the youths in the game.

The chairman of the League Management Company (LMC) Shehu Dikko has commended the shirt sponsorship deal Sharks Football Club of Port-Harcourt signed with leading chemical company, Eunicell.

While speaking at the unveiling of the shirt deal, Dikko reiterated that all the reform the LMC has embarked on in the past few years were geared towards making sure that league and the premier league clubs become one hundred percent privately driven.

Dikko disclosed that the LMC has to bend some of its rules by giving Sharks waivers to enable the sponsorship deal come to fruition adding that this was the only way clubs can become financially independent.

“We’re quite excited when we heard the news that Sharks were about sealing the deal and had to immediately put the LMC’s legal department at their disposal.

“We are happy with this development and wish to implore Eunicell to convince other corporate organizations to come and identify with clubs in the Glo premier league”

In his speech, the General Manager of Sharks, Okey Kpalukwu thanked eunicell for making it possible to secure the shirt sponsorship, stressing that the deal will go a long way in helping the management of the club run the club without hitches.

“We are grateful to Eunicell and we want to use this opportunity to call on other corporate bodies to emulate eunicell by identifying with Sharks”

The Group Managing Director (GMD) of Eunicell, Chika Ikenga said his company were proud to unveil the sponsorship initiative with Sharks.

“Today belongs to Sharks and the Nigerian football. We love Sharks, we love to see it do well and also ensure that the city of Port-Harcourt regains its harmonious nature that it was known for in the past.”

Bayelsa United’s Media Officer, Eddy Ohis has confirmed to SportingLife that League Management Company(LMC) has approved of the use of Oghara Township Stadium for their home matches this season.

The Restoration Boys played the latter part of last season and the first game of the current season at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, but the club have asked for a shift to Oghara where they believe they will have the support of their fans.

They will start their home game with the Match Day Four tie with FC Taraba at the stadium that has hosted many international games including the 2002 African Women’s Championship (AWC).

Ohis told SportingLife: “The Oghara Township Stadium has been approved for our home matches and we are going to face FC Taraba at the stadium on Saturday. It has been a very tough week for us ensuring that we get the LMC to inspect our stadium, and I am glad to tell you that the pitch is ready to host our home matches.”

Bayelsa United are second from bottom with a point from three games. They will tackle yet-to-be-beaten FC Taraba searching for their first home win of the season.

Soccer fans across the country have again commended the level of organization of the on-going Nigeria Professional Football League which they described as a new Nigeria Premiership. According to reports monitored in all the League centers across the country, football fans and clubs expressed optimism that the local league would soon compete favorably with other organised leagues of the World and that in no distant time our fans would return to our stadium enmass and embrace our local league just as witnessed in the Nigeria music industry revolution.

With the several innovations brought into the league so far by the new board of the League Management Company led by Mallam Shehu Dikko, the League would soon reclaim its position as the number one league in Africa.

So far with the introduction of the Referees Assessors, the fans base development strategy, the introduction of cash reward for every away win or draw, the over 100% increased sponsorship share award to each club, the over 100% increase in cup worth awards as well as uniform match balls, bags and other incentives, the league is moving towards a higher level.

Speaking on the new face of the League under the new Leadership, General Manager of Heartland FC of Owerri who doubles as a director of the LMC, Prince Okey Ibe lauded the positive initiatives of the Mallam Dikko led board towards redefining the concept of league management for efficiency and service delivery.

Also an elated General Manager of newly promoted Kwara United, Mohammed Haruna Maigidasanma expressed satisfaction and support to the Dikko led board stressing that his management were excited to have received a cash reward of N0.1m for pulling an away draw against Dolphin FC. So far, clubs like Enyimba, Kano pillars and hosts of others who had hit over 5000 fans capacity in their stadia have benefited from the cash incentive packages of the fans base development strategy initiative of the new LMC.

It is on record that the new LMC leadership have put in place a special security measures to secure the fans and match officials, while it has also developed a security strategy which will soon guarantee live telecast of matches in all the league centers in both the North and South.

Reacting to the development, Ag. Secretary of the Club Owners Alloy Chukwuemeka said the numerous achievements recorded by the new league board in the early stage was very much expected because the leadership is a listening type with high sense of maturity in administration. He added that the new board have the full support of the Club Owners which according to him comprises of 6 members from the Club owners.

He said: “Yes we are happy with the innovations, we are happy with the new leadership and as you can see the board is an all-inclusive type with 6 members from the Club owners, and I strongly believe that they will succeed and the success have started rolling in.

“This is unlike the past when we were decorating the container and leaving the content to decay, now the new board have started by building the content in order to make the league an attractive brand to investors and also  by working closely with the Club Owners.

“What we witnessed before now was constant friction and conflicts between the LMC and the Club Owners, but the new leadership have shown maturity in Administration and that was why it received full endorsement from the Club Owners during the recent AGM held in Abuja.

“Let me tell you, the Club Owners have constituted a responsible and responsive leadership with seasoned football administrators who have also distinguished themselves  in several fields of human endeavors, because we have lawyers, engineers, politicians, former Commissioners, local govt bosses etc, so we understand and know what is good for us and the League.

“As you can see now the system is stable and we urge all stake holders to support it moving forward.”

Oak Zeel CEO, Omeje Okechukwu Valentine has petitioned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and League Management Company (LMC) over the provisional clearance issued to defender Chibuzor Okonkwo.

Okechukwu contends that based on the contract signed between Oak Zeel and Okonkwo in 2013, the Beijing Olympics silver medalist is still tied to the grassroots club for one more year, meaning his purported transfer to Gabros FC is null and void.

“Oak Zeel FC has already petitioned the NFF and LMC about the illegal provisional clearance of the player Okonkwo Chibuzor because it is not an issue of self pity or familiarity but a legal contractual agreement which the player did not endorse under duress, but which he signed and agreed to honour afterwards thereby attaching a copy of his international passport as a seal of the agreement.

“I (Chief Omeje Okechukwu Valentine) hereby state that if not in honour of FIFA rules and regulations,  I would have sued the player and his accomplices to court but regardless, justice shall prevail.

“I am equally ready to see that justice is served accordingly, because this is one of the reasons why corruption has ceased to disappear in our country due to the fact that most influential people in our society believe they can bend the rules at will and get away with it by maneuvering the justice system, believing that Nigeria is a country where they can do as they like.

“I am going to stop at nothing to see that the next generation does not witness such preposterous act knowing full well that truth is where justice is. I do not care whoever is involved, starting with the perpetrator to whoever is backing or supporting his ignorance, but one thing is for sure, that whatever we sow,  we shall reap and whoever supports evil shall be met by evil in due time,”said Omeje Valentine to allnigeriasoccer.com.

Despite entreaties from Omeje, Gabriel Chukwuma, the president of Gabros FC, has refused to be on the same page with Oak Zeel over the transfer of the Nigeria international to the Nnewi-based club.

“Oak Zeel FC hasn’t received any official call or email from Gabros  regarding the illegal transfer of the player Okonkwo Chibuzor.

“The NFF should set an example with this to teach other potential young players who might intend to do the same in the future. The body is supposed to tighten its belt setting its rules and regulations as well as enforcing them in a way that these evil perpetrators or law breakers will find it hard to infiltrate the system.

“I am of strong faith that the NFF president, being a man of integrity, will see to it that this does not go against justice in order to uphold the credibility of the office.

“Oak Zeel has contacted Gabros FC on many occasions to dialogue the situation but all to no avail;  this is a man that I hold in high esteem and once took as a role model in football and to crown it all, when I was under apprenticeship in Onitsha,  Gabros was one of the people that I respected so much due to his philanthropy and generosity towards youths.

“Surprisingly, I am seeing a different individual which obviously indicates that there are external forces influencing his sincere judgement over this issue.

“Oak Zeel is not so interested in the money that Gabros is obligated by law to pay but has an interest in the future career of the player Okonkwo Chibuzor, but, unfortunately,  the dubious nature which the deal contains has prompted an urgent justification in order to make things clear that a player cannot sell his economic rights to a club and still want to be a free player.

“He cannot have his cake and eat it. This has to stop in order to assure the safety of the society where players use their status to dupe business men,” Omeje concluded.

Chibuzor Okonkwo has featured in two matches for Gabros (otherwise known as Ifeanyi Ubah FC) since the start of the league.