Just like the elite league, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), the country’s second-tier club football league, the Nigeria National League (NNL) will kick off its new season on Friday, March 3, 2023 in an abridged format.
This was contained in a communique issued after the 12th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Abuja on Friday.
The AGM which was declared open by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, represented by the General Secretary, Dr.Sanusi Mohammed adopted the amended rules and regulations for the 2022/2023 season as a legal document binding on all NNL clubs.
It was further agreed upon that a super abridged league format of 8 groups, will see the Northern and Southern conferences broken into four groups: A1, A2, A3, A4, and B1, B2, B3, B4, which shall be grouped based on proximity in order to ensure the league ends May 2023 as mandated by the NFF.
The Assembly also agreed that all NNL clubs must allow streaming of matches, home and away without hindrance to enhance awareness and visibility of the league.
It was also agreed upon that the clubs must comply with the security measures at all times at their match venues while clubs with a proven two records of assaults on match officials in a season either home or away shall be withdrawn from the league.
The AGA also agreed that 3 points, 3 goals shall be deducted from the cumulative points of any club that assaults match officials or cause any form of violence in a match.
The Assembly further agreed that only clubs who fulfil their registration obligations before the two weeks deadline shall be drawn on the fixtures to play in the 2022/2023 league.
Eight clubs from the Nationwide League One (NLO) were promoted to the Nigeria National League.
The eight promoted teams are two Lagos-based sides, Smart FC and Madiba FC. Two clubs from Abuja, are Hype buzz FC and Mailantarki Care FC.
Aspire FC, FC One Rocke, Police Barretta, and FC Ebedei are based in Anambra, Akwa-Ibom, Gombe, and Ogun states, respectively.
Kano Pillars, Heartland of Owerri, Katsina United, and Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) lost their status in the NPFL last season.
Meanwhile, the Head of Operations, Emmanuel Adesanya assured the clubs that he will deliver a better and improved league during the 2022/2023 football season.
He said, “It is our strong believe that this exercise will help put all of us on one page, it is calculated to intimate us better with the dos and don’ts of Association football which we practice especially as it is in the NNL”
“For us the league in NNL is a big deal and we must get it right from onset, it is all about professionalism and it’s tenets.
