Tag: Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL)

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has faulted the suspension of coach Aluma Napoleon by Warri Wolves  on the ground that it did not  adhere to procedures for contracting coaches.

In a letter titled, “Notarization and Registration of Contracts” addressed to the club and signed by Davidson Owumi, the NPFL Chief Operating Officer, the club was mandated to ensure full compliance by submitting its contract with all of the club’s technical and management officials.

The NPFL letter read:  “Information reaching us from the media space suggest that the Delta State Sports Commission has suspended your head coach Mr. Aluma Napoleon with immediate effect.”

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The NPFL cited its Frameworks and Rules for 2025/26 in demanding compliance by Warri Wolves, stating that “you are aware that the framework and rules of the NPFL 2025/2026 season , Section B, article 6 and 11, clearly states the requirements for engagement and procedure for registration of contracts for all club officials.

 “You are however in breach of these sections as Warri Wolves FC have not submitted the contracts of its officials to the League Board. You are hereby requested to within twenty-four hours of receiving this letter, submit all relevant contracts of your technical team, including that of the assumed suspended head coach, Mr. Napoleon Aluma to the Secretariat of the NPFL”.

The letter warned that the club may have to play its future matches without a bench on account of failure to comply with the directive.

 “Note that failure to comply with this instruction will lead to the restriction of your technical team from accessing the technical area in future NPFL matches,” the club was warned.

Owumi, in a related statement to the NPFL Media made it clear that the Warri Wolves case is not an isolated instance. He said this applies to all clubs that are yet to domicile the contracts with their technical officials with the NPFL.

 “I must admonish all Coaches to get hold of their contracts and lodge a report with the NPFL when there is a violation of the terms. It is the responsibility of the aggrieved to petition the league at all times”, he reminded the Coaches.

Heartland FC will begin their tricky journey back to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) in the Southern Conference A of the Nigeria National League (NNL), where they will battle nine other teams for the sole topflight ticket.

Following a unanimous decision at the NNL Annual General Meeting held in Kaduna on Monday, stakeholders agreed to scrap the Super Eight playoff format. Instead, the top teams from each of the four conferences will now gain automatic promotion to the NPFL at the end of the season.

For the Naze Millionaires, their campaign kicks off with a tough away clash against Crown FC in Ogbomosho before welcoming Edel FC of Awka in their first home fixture on Matchday Two. Emmanuel Amuneke’s side will close the first stanza of the season with a home tie against Beyond Limits and round off the campaign by hosting Crown FC in Owerri.

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Other teams in the Southern Conference A include Sunshine Stars, Inter Lagos, Smart City, Godswill Akpabio FC, Abia Comets, E-World, and Beyond Limits.

Meanwhile, in Southern Conference B, Akwa United will chase an immediate NPFL return against the likes of Solution FC, Abakaliki FC, Sporting Lagos, Dakkada, Ekiti United, Osun United, First Bank, Stormers, and Rovers. Their season opener pits them against Solution FC in Uyo, with a first stanza finale away to Rovers in Calabar.

In the North, Lobi Stars headline Conference C, where they will contest with City FC, Kada Warriors, Mighty Jets, FC Basira, among others. Rancher’s Bees, recently acquired by Super Eagles forward Sadiq Umar, also feature prominently. Northern Conference D will see clubs like Bichi First FC, Yobe Desert Stars, Jigawa Golden Stars, Adamawa United, Kebbi United, and Gombe United jostling for promotion.

Under the leadership of Chairman George Aluo, the NNL continues to reposition itself with reforms and innovations aimed at restoring credibility and competitiveness to the country’s second-tier league.

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clubs have been zoned into three groups for the NPFL Youth League for U-19 players.

The league will be played in Ikenne, Umuahia and Kano where the clubs located in geographical proximity have been grouped.

In Ikenne, the league will commence on Monday, August 4, 2025, and will host Remo Stars, Shooting Stars, Ikorodu City, Sunshine Stars, Kwara United and Bendel Insurance. It will be concluded on August 9.

Teams zone to Kano are hosts Kano Pillars, El-Kanemi Warriors, Katsina United, Nasarawa United, Niger Tornadoes and Plateau United. Their matches hold from August 10 to 16th.

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To battle in Umuahia for a place in the final playoff are Abia Warriors, Akwa United, Enyimba, Rangers, Heartland, Bayelsa United, Rivers United and Lobi Stars.

The two top teams on the log at the end of round-rubbing fixtures will qualify for the Top-Six finals that will be played to determine the overall champions. The U-19 NPFL Youth League is a part of the concluded 2024/25 season activities.

Following rowdy scenes occasioned by pitch encroachment leading to physical assault on Remo Stars Coach Sulaimon Kamil, the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has fined Ikorodu City FC and ordered a two-match closure of their stadium to fans.

In a separate development, the league body also issued a stern warning to all the NPFL club officials and their coaches to refrain from using unsavoury expressions about the league while granting media interviews.

 But it was Shooting Stars Coach, Gbenga Ogunbote who was issued a specific reprimand for his outbursts after one of the club’s games against Ikorodu City FC in Lagos on Matchday 12.

The NPFL noted that during an inquest, Ogunbote expressed regrets and apologised for his outburst, and was directed to issue a public apology.

Ikorodu City was charged for breach of Rules B13.52, B13.18 and C9

In a summary jurisdiction notice, the NPFL charged Ikorodu City for failure to provide adequate security which resulted in unauthorized persons gaining access to restricted areas and assaulting Remo Stars Coach Kamil in breach of Rule B13.52 of the Frameworks and Rules.

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Ikorodu City was also charged for failure to ensure proper conduct of their team and supporters in breach of Rule C9.

The club was fined a total of three million naira  and  ordered to identify and prosecute the fan who assaulted Coach Kamil and play the next two consecutive home games without admitting fans to the stands.

The sanction read: “An order to identify and prosecute the individual(s) involved in the assault on Remo Stars Coach, Mr. Sulaimon Kamil. A report detailing the progress of this action must be submitted to the NPFL within seven (7) working days of the date of this notice.

“In accordance with Rule C26, you are required, within 48 hours of the date of this notice, to either submit to the summary jurisdiction and the sanctions contained herein; or elect to be dealt with by a disciplinary panel,” the NPFL ruled.