2018/19 Nigerian Leagues May Not Start Until March 2019 – Okoye

By Rilwan Musa Gawu -

The proprietor of Bimo Sporting Club, Chinedu Okoye opined that 2018/19 Nigerian football leagues may not start until March 2019.

The retired Switzerland referee argued that since most of the team in the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL are government owned and most of the governors will be more concerned with the general elections in February 2019, then there is no possibility that the Nigerian leagues will start soon.
He added that until the elections are concluded no state government will have time for the release of funds for teams to execute their matches.
Okoye who made this assertion during a telephone conversation with BSN Sports correspondent in Abuja stated further that, it is not sure that the leagues will start in January as both NFF and NNL are not on the same page regarding the number of teams that will be promoted to join the existing twenty NPFL Clubs.
“I am afraid the league may not commence until March next year. We all know that 2019 is an election year and state governments who owned most of the clubs will be more interested in the campaign and the general elections in February.
“Since both the NNL and the NPFL have not decided on the number of teams that will join the 20 NPFL clubs till now, then league may not start in January nor February.”
Recall that CAF has directed all Association Nations to end the 2018/19 domestic league by May 29.

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