NPL moves up kick-off date
by Sammy Wejinya 14 December 2012, 15:10
The Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has tentatively set January 7, 2013 as the kick-off date for the 2012/13 season.
The General Assembly of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday approved that its executive committee receive the NPL and subsequently set up a league management committee to superintend the affairs of the league for the 2012/2013 season, pending the conduct of fresh elections.
The assembly also approved that the 2012/2013 Premier League season commence in January 2013, before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
Sole administrator of the NPL, Tunji Babalola says the time frame set by the NFF for the kick-off of the new season is feasible but that all "stakeholders and the clubs must support the NPL to make things a reality."
“It is feasible. The 2012/13 season can begin before the Nations Cup kicks off in South Africa next year but we will need stakeholders and the clubs to support the NPL to make things a reality. We will also need financial assistance from the NFF,” Babalola exclusively told supersport.com.
The NPL chief then revealed that there are two likely dates in January 2013 when the new season could begin.
“For now we are looking at January 7 or 13 but we still have to work on the details,” he said.
The NPL has been rocked by crisis in recent days prompting the National Sports Commission (NSC) to order the NFF to intervene and conclusively resolve the crisis rocking league body.
