The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced a decision to end the domestic football season following disruptions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March, The NFF initially suspended all football activities for a month due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigeria’s decision came after much of Africa had imposed bans on mass gatherings, including sporting activities.
The NFF issued a statement saying that it had arrived at the decision following the consideration of several factors including the costs and financial status of the leagues and clubs, and the CAF calendar.
“The league (Nigeria Professional Football League) ends at current Matchday 25 and the Points Per Game (PPG) table will be used to rank the teams in order to ensure sporting merit and sporting fairness,” the NFF said.
The NFF added that there will be no relegation from or promotion to the NPFL for the 2019/2020 season.
The statement also said that the names of the top three teams on the NPFL’s final PPG table as at Matchday 25 will be forwarded to CAF to represent Nigeria in next season’s interclubs competitions. Nigeria will have two representatives in the CAF Champions League and one in the Confederation Cup.
The NFF also set a tentative date for the start of the next season which will depend on the health situation and approval from authorities.
“The NPFL 2020/2021 season will start from September/October 2020 and end May 2021 subject to the full reopening of the country and the approval of the health authorities.”
Last month, Isaac Danladi, the chairman of the club owners, announced that 17 of the 20 topflight teams had agreed to finish the season, with final rankings determined by a points-per-game principle and no relegation.
However, the NFF denied media reports that a final decision had been arrived at to end the 2019/2020 Nigeria Professional Football League and the rest of the domestic football season.
Nigeria’s other football leagues, such as the women’s league and the second-tier league, were cancelled as was the Aiteo Cup.
Nigeria’s additional spot for the Confederation Cup, which was to be taken up by the Aiteo Cup winners, will now go to the 2019 Federation Cup winners.
