The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Professional Football League

  • LMC approve Sani Abacha Stadium for league matches

    The League Management Company (LMC) has approved Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata in Kano State as home ground of Kano Pillars FC for the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football league (NPFL) season.
    The LMC representative Patrick Pascal MON stated this after inspecting the stadium today.
    Pascal said he was in Kano to assess situation of the stadium in preparation for the coming season.
    The ex-international expressed delight with condition of the stadium, urging the management to sustain the tempo in maintaining the standard of the stadium.
    The chairman of the club Tukur Babangida said his board is ready to control the team’s crowd and provide adequate security during home games.
    Babangida has also pledged to do his best to ensure that Sai Masu Gida return to its envious heights of the past.

  • Rangers begin fan base census




    Nigeria professional football league champions Rangers international of Enugu have flagged of census of its fan base across the country and beyond.  The exercise the Nation gathered, is not only aimed at identifying real fans of the coal city based club but also enable the club serve its fans and well wishers better.  The flying Antelopes suffered 32 years trophy drought but ultimately broke the jinx this year clinching the league in style to earn a ticket to represent Nigeria in the CAF Champions league alongside Rivers United.  The online exercise expects fans to state their names, age,sex location, email address and phone number.  The Nation further gathered that a more interactive relationship is being planned between the club and its fans with the fans at liberty to suggest from time to time what they think the club is doing right and wrong all aimed at improvement for the better.
    The coach Imama Amapakabo tutored side has continued to shape up ahead of the new premier league season even as the coach has declared that the team will do everything possible to put up a good show in the continent.
     “”We are equal to the task and are determined to make an impact in the Champions league,”he enthused
    Rangers dished out the call for fan census Wednesday using the club’s twitter, adding,”we encourage all our fans to fill our fan survey to help us serve you better.”

  • Nasarawa United relocate to Jos tomorrow

    Nasarawa United relocate to Jos tomorrow

    .To play Mighty Jets, Plateau United
    Players and officials of Nasarawa United will leave Kaduna to Jos on Wednesday to play another round of pre-season friendly matches in preparation for the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
    The club’s media officer, Musa Elayo told SportingLife that Nasarawa United will engage Mighty Jets in a friendly match on Thursday while they confront Plateau United on Friday.
    The Solid Miners are having a closed camping in Kaduna to blend new and old players together.
    SportingLife reports that Coach Kabiru Dogo has been using Kaduna camping for a screening exercise to pick new players.
    “Hopefully, the team should be in Jos on Wednesday to play more friendly matches against Mighty Jets and Plateau United. The preparation for the new season is going on as planned and we hope to come out with solid team for new season at the end of the camping. We have new players and old players in the camp in Kaduna and they are getting use to themselves. Our plan is to improve on what we had achieved last season,” Elayo revealed to SportingLife.

  • Gombe United ready for league kick off

    Gombe United ready for league kick off

    The management of Gombe United has expressed satisfaction with the team’s preparation and believes that they are set for the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) kicks off.

    The club’s Assistant General Manager (Media and Publicity), Tanimu Umar while speaking on the team’s readiness for the forthcoming season  said the management has been preparing assiduously to bolster the club towards the very competitive NPFL.

    Umar said the Savannah Scorpions employed the services of first class technical adviser, Manu Garba and recruited experienced players that can help the team achieve its set objective for the season.

    “Right from the end of last season, we have not rested on our oars, we have been preparing to bolster the club towards the very competitive NPFL. We understood that we have to roll our sleeves and work assiduously if we can compete alongside well armed teams in the NPFL,” Umar stated.

    Speaking further, he said:  “We set the ball rolling by recruiting an internationally-acclaimed tactician as Technical Adviser, Coach Manu Garba (OON). Garba gained reputation by winning the FIFA U-17 Championships for Nigeria while in charge of the Golden Eaglets. We believe he can inspire our boys with a view to gaining glory in the coming season. The presence of Manu Garba invariably lured competent players to join the team. Today we have been able to complete the signing of 12 new players; these players were carefully selected to compliment the squad and to strengthen the team. We can boldly assure our teeming fans that we are good to go.

    “The upcoming Nigeria National League (NNL) Super 4 to be hosted in Gombe State will definitely be a litmus test before the commencement of the league. For that, we are urging our fans to come out en masse to cheer the team to victory. We need the support of all football stakeholders in the state; all hands should be on deck to ensure Gombe United make a huge statement of intent in the league. We thank the state government under the leadership of Dr Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, OON (Talban Gombe) for the ceaseless support to the team. We pray that the government shall continue to stand by us, continue to have confidence in us and embolden the team towards achieving laurels,” he added.

  • Wikki Tourists get new logo

    Wikki Tourists get new logo

     

    Wikki Tourists FC of Bauchi State have unveiled a new logo for the club ahead of the 2016/2017 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.

    According to a statement on the club’s social media page, the club has adopted The Giant Elephant has their new nickname.

    “This is the modified Logo of the Club when unveiled to the corporate world as a Trade mark by the Marketing Committee, unauthorized use will be illegal. This is in line with Business practice worldwide. As a Professional Club representing the Country in the Continent, it intends to derive value for its services,” the statement reads.

    Wikki Tourists is a Nigerian football club based in Bauchi, and currently playing in the Nigeria Premier league after promotion from the second-tier Nigeria National League (NNL) after the 2014 season.

    The club won the Nigerian FA Cup in 1998 and they were NNL champions in 2011.

    The club made its first appearance in the CAF Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999 and reached the second Round of the competition before they crashed out.  In 2008, Wikki Tourists participated in the CAF Confederation Cup and they were knocked out in the First Round.

    The club is expected to represent Nigeria in the CAF confederation Cup next year after finishing third in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) at the end of the 2015/2016 season.

  • NPFL players to earn N150,000 minimum wage

    NPFL players to earn N150,000 minimum wage

    Nigeria Professional Football League players can now heave a sigh of relief as report reaching futaa.com indicates that Sports Minister Bolaji Abdulahi has approved a fee of N150,000 minimum wage.

    The players, who have been poorly paid in the past, will now earn a minimum fee of 1,000 dollars per month.

    The long running warfare over the sponsorship of the Nigeria Professional Football League finally came to an end, as the League sealed a three-year N1.8b deal with telecomms company Globacom.

    This means that Globacom now have the title rights of the Nigeria Professional Football League for the next three years.

    The NPFL will receive N550,000,000 for the first year, while N641,300,000 and N705,430,000 have been set aside for the second and third year respectively, and this is now expected to have effect on the players.

  • Match officials have been fair so far, says Babalola

    Match officials have been fair so far, says Babalola

    Tunji Babalola, the Secretary of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), has described the standard of officiating being put up by referees in the ongoing season as commendable.

    Babalola made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

    The secretary added that through such consistent performances by the referees, the league could be made more attractive to fans and potential investors.

    He, however, urged referees to exhibit a high sense of integrity and patience during matches, in order to make the 2012/2013 season hitch free.

    “So far, so good and I feel match officials in the NPFL have performed well; they have raised the bar this season which is highly commendable, we hope the rest of the season will be hitch free.

    “The fact still remains that referees are vital to the success of the NPFL and I want to commend their efforts so far, as match results are not being contested.

    “We understand that paying referees’ remuneration is essential; we are only pleading for their understanding if there are slight delays in the disbursement of funds,’’ he said.

    On the compliance of clubs with the NPFL’s rules and regulations, Babalola told NAN that clubs have been cooperative; saying that their support was what the body thrives on.

    “Well, so far, we have been enjoying support from them; we carry them along and it has been helpful that the 2012/2013 league season is turning out to be better than we expected.