The chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye is not lying low in his mission to transform the league. He speaks passionately and dreams big about it. The Nigerian Premier Football League has come a long way. Despite its robust past, the league’s recent history, has been incongruous. Of late however, the NPFL has witnessed tremendous improvements in many aspects especially, since the inception of the Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye leadership. One area that stands out is officiating. The must win-at-home syndrome has given way to winning from a team playing well, home or away.
Conversely, a team can lose when they play badly, home or away. The chairman of the NPFL had this to say, “Officiating has improved so much that win-at-all-cost has gone. Niger Tornadoes went to Makurdi and defeated Lobi Stars. The other week, Enugu Rangers lost to Kano Pillars at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu. All this is evident that there has been a level playing ground for all the teams, where anybody can win anywhere.”
The development has given rise to a return of confidence in the participating clubs and the players, in particular, who now know they can win on the road, away from home. The players now express themselves to their full potential without fear of undue harassment as, apart from the security in place, there are adequate measures, put in place by the NPFL to check the excesses of clubs and officiating officials. In footballing sense, the unpredictability of the outcome of games has brought back the excitement and made the league more interesting and as a result crowd have started returning to the stadiums to watch matches.
More importantly, the Nigerian Premier League is on television. StarTimes, the digital television channel beams no fewer than four matches a week. The NPFL Chairman, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye confirmed to Sports Vanguard. “Our league is on TV. StarTimes is our official television channel and at least four matches are shown each week.” He added that “the NPFL is also streamed live and can be watched on smart phones.” The arrangement is that the number of matches aired by StarTimes will be increased to six at some point.
However, that is not to say it is uhuru yet for the NPFL. The question of players’ welfare and remuneration is still a factor mitigating against the growth and development of the league. It is also influencing players’ flight to other countries.