NPFL 2022/23 Season: The Disagreement between IMC and Club Owners Brew - Here's What the Issues Are

According to the IMC Chairman, the IMC made a release informing the club owners and the public during their meetings, regarding their activities outlined for the 2022/2023 season.

 The clubs were given a mandate to go and revert. They went and came back with their own structure and presented it to the IMC. The IMC rightly rejected the proposal of the club owners, given the fact that they shouldn't run the league and be participants and especially, after consulting with the NFF. 

According to the NFF, they reminded the IMC about their mandate and they should go ahead to organize the league.

The clubs made press releases on their platforms, informing clubs not to be a part of the IMC's 28th December draws.

Below are very important points the veteran journalist Mitchell Obi put forward on air, and the respective responses by the IMC Chairman himself;

IMC

A proposal of an abridged league was presented the clubs with dates for draws and kickoff made available. 

An outline of considerations and backups regarding the IMC's proposal to clubs, according to the submissions of the IMC Chairman in the radio broadcast;

• Election year

• High Insecurity issues during election period

• Clubs MUST compete to have winner

• Full league impossible to end in May/June

• Draws: 28th of December

• Kickoff date: 8th of January 2023

• Off season during elections

• Cash price of 100M

• No title sponsor yet - but an arrangement agreed upon on financing the league

• Sponsors to pay clubs and referees directly

• Outstanding money owed referees association to be paid in installments

• Pay the referees directly and not via the IMC

• Deduction of 3 points by the IMC instead of dedication and fines

• 3 pots format

• Clubs from same states not to be in same pot

• Some Clubs given an opportunity to choose from other venues on special grounds (if not satisfied with proposed venue)

• League to be broadcast live on TV

• TV friendly venues considered

• Secured venues considered

• Super 6 to determine the winner of the league

• Relegation omitted but surely part of the plan 

Clubs were asked to come back with feedbacks

CLUBS

According to information put forward on air by the IMC Chairman, one of these very important points presented below was a part of the proposals presented by clubs, and the other reveals why the clubs systematically are garnering for a long league format;

• Longer league even during the political era favours the clubs since state governments continues spending when league is unnecessarily stretched

• Clubs suggested this season's league winners to already be gifted to clubs that represented Nigeria in CAF competitions last season.

• Clubs suggested the top 4 teams at the period the club lists for CAF competitions are submitted to be awarded as club representatives at CAF competitions.

With the above analysis, can I say the club owners are dreaming or might be misled by certain selfish clubs?

The clubs are aware the long league format isn't in any way achievable after all, given the political era we face in 2023.

The IMC Chairman backed his abridged league proposal by referring to the 2019 abridged league and the success of the clubs that participated in the CAF competitions that year. As against the excuse put forward by the clubs. The clubs believe the abridged league format won't be effective.

An abridged league was played in 2019 yet good results were yielded.

I expect the clubs to come up with an agreement with the IMC regarding important points like ending the league timely and rewarding champions that would represent clubs only after a champion emerges and not rather try to halt the league from kicking off and also try to push to name champions and representatives in the CAF competition without competition.

The clubs released statements that are quite contradictory.

This is a shame to Nigerians and should end, as the IMC Chairman rightly said