AFTER the long wait, here comes the Glo Nigeria Premier League. The fourth best league in Africa will resume today across the country, with the clubs jostling for the opportunity to join the elite teams of the continent by finishing among the top three sides in the championship.
Going into the championship, some of the sides will also be occupied with the battle to retain their status in Nigeria’s elite club championship, so this season promises a lot of thrills and frills at both ends of the ladder.
Part of the ingredients in the anticipated interesting times for football lovers are the innovations put in place by the League Management Company (LMC), organisers of the competition.
Some of these new deal is the agreement between the clubs and the LMC that the least paid player in the league will earn N150,000, a decision that have given rise to expectations that the players would rise to the challenge and deliver their best on the pitch.
Aside the salary incentive, the clubs have also agreed to sign proper contracts with players and file each player's contract agreement with the LMC as against the vague contracts they had with the stars of the game.
The LMC has assured all the clubs of equal opportunity to aspire for the league diadem beginning with the television broadcast of all the team’s games to ensure fairness and competitiveness in the competition.
In the fixture for the season, new comers, Abia Warriors will be up against Kaduna United in Umuahia in their first taste of elite action, while Akwa United will host Gombe United in Uyo.
Heartland will host Dolphins in Owerri, while another new team to the elite division, FC Taraba, will tackle Nasarawa United, with Lobi Stars meeting Crown of Ogbomosho in Makurdi. .
The games involving Warri Wolves against El Kanemi, Bayelsa United versus Sharks and Sunshine against Enyimba have all been postponed to Thursday next week to allow Wolves, Bayelsa and Enyimba settle their continental engagements. .
Meanwhile, the LMC has dropped the only two privately owned football clubs in the league, Nembe City and Giwa of Jos, following their inability to meet the club registration requirements. .
The LMC Chief operating Officer, Salihu Abubakar, stated in a statement issued in Abuja Friday that the clubs were deemed not fit to participate in the new football season because they failed to substantially comply with the minimum registration requirements.
Abubakar, who disclosed that the other 18 clubs substantially met the requirements and received provisional approvals to compete in the league, noted that all the matches involving Nembe City and newly promoted Giwa FC has been withdrawn, stressing that the number of participating clubs in the 2013/2014 Glo League season has been reduced from 20 to 18.
“Since the deadline for submission of registration form closed 48 hours ago, we have been scrutinizing the registration materials returned by the clubs and can now state that Nembe City and Giwa FC are in substantial default of the minimum requirements to participate in the Glo Premier League this season.
“They have consequently been withdrawn from the fixture and all matches involving both clubs are cancelled,” Abubakar said in Abuja. .
The LMC insists that the registration requirements are based on licensing principles that promotes the development of the league for the benefit of the clubs.
“This is the first step towards bringing our clubs to meet the conditions prescribed in the Nigeria Football Federation Club Licensing Regulation, which recently came into force,” he added.
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