Nigerian Football
IMC ties portion of Enyimba ₦100m to players’ recruitment & facility upgrade
Recruitment of players and development of club infrastructure is a key component of the ₦100m prize money won by Enyimba International as Champions of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) 2022/23 season.
Chairman of the NPFL Interim Management Committee (IMC), Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye laid the charge to the Club Chairman, Felix Anyansi Agwu during a meeting with the NPFL Clubs Chairmen in Lagos on Monday.
Elegbeleye explained that the prize money which would be credited to the club’s bank account within the week has been tied to strengthening the club to compete favourably on the continent and meet infrastructural conditions set by Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) for hosting the CAF Champions League.
“Let me again congratulate Enyimba International for emerging the champions but it has to be stated that in line with the developmental trajectories of the IMC and our investment partners, GTI, there is a portion of the money tied to certain projects.
“Of the ₦100m, the club must spend a minimum of ₦25m on quality players recruitment to strengthen their squad and be able to represent the country well in the CAF Champions League next season.
“We have seen how deep the squads of clubs from the north African countries are, they recruit some of the best in their country and outside hence their strong showing on the continent. It is the reason we have ensured that a reasonable amount is provided as prize money”, the IMC Chairman explained.
Continuing, he noted that the league body is intent on getting clubs upgrade their facilities to, in the long run, meet requirements for hosting the CAF Champions League.
“Another ₦25m of the prize money must be spent by the club on upgrading of facilities in the stadium identified to fall short of acceptable standards while the remaining ₦50m is at the disposal of the Club to spend as it considers appropriate.
“It is not that the IMC will have anything to do with the actual spending nor determine for the club who executes the project but simply stating the guidelines on the allocation of portions of the prize money”, Elegbeleye further stated.
He said that there would be expansion of the bracket of financial rewards as more sponsors are attracted to raise the financial base of the NPFL.
“Obviously, there is a need to have an inclusive financial reward system to also have clubs benefit based on their positions on the log at the end of the season to also support them in players recruitment and facility upgrade”, he concluded in his address.
Enyimba edged Remo Stars and Rivers United to the league title on goals difference after all three were tied on nine points at the completion of games of the NPFL Championship Play-off in Lagos on Sunday. It was the ninth title win for the twice African Champions.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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