The flagship of domestic football, the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), has suffered over six postponements for the 2020/2021 football season. This is despite the dubious sale of its commercial rights to two different companies – Next Digital Broadcasting and Redstrike Marketing Agency.
The League Management Company (LMC) chairman and 2nd Vice President of the NFF Shehu Dikko is one of the most powerful figures in Nigeria football and the alter ego of the NFF President.
As the LMC boss Shehu Dikko is beyond the control of the NFF board.
He attained his untouchable status by donating his company, Mediterranean Sports Limited, as conduit to siphon and ferry millions of United States Dollars from SuperSport, other sponsors of the league and several sponsors of the NFF.
The position of the NFF 2nd Vice President is an elective position, but Dikko got it by appointment through the grace of his big boss whose bidding he now does and nobody within the football fraternity had the guts to challenge it.
The NPFL under Shehu Dikko’s LMC ran the three last football seasons inconclusively.
Instead of getting the NPFL on terrestrial TV Dikko is embarking on another inglorious journey of a certain NPFL App and giving false hope to gullible club chairmen that the dubious transaction with Redstrike will change the fortunes of the NPFL.
This is assuming, but not conceding that the league will kick off on December 27, 2020.
But is it appropriate to commence the league in the heat of the festive period? What are the security arrangements for the clubs who usually travel by road? Considering the porous security situation in the country particularly in this festive period are the players and officials safe? Is it really convenient?
What was the commercial value of the league when the LMC took over and where are we today?
The promoters of the LMC must surely be held accountable.
BY HARRISON JALLA
