Rivers United FC has expressed disappointment over recent comments credited to former Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club owners Association Secretary, Alloy Chukwuemeka in some sections of the media.
Chukwuememeka spoke on the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to announce the conclusion of the 2019/20 NPFL season using the Points Per Game (PPG) model to decide on the identity of clubs to represent the country in Inter CAF club competition.
Chukwuemeka said: “You will agree with me that the Covid-19 pandemic was never envisaged in the course of the season.
“It was a clear case of emergency with its attendant health implications.
“So going by the NPFL rules framework it falls under ‘Force Majure’ unforeseen circumstance.
“What we did in trying to activate that section of the rules was first to interface and engage in wide consultations with all the relevant stakeholders and in the long run, we settled for the adoption of the PPG to end the season, the best option in the situation we found ourselves.
“PPG mechanism is not a native doctor permutation, it is science and it is simple mathematics, what it simply means is a division of points accrued by a club with the number of matches played, in order to arrive at a given coefficient.
“It is a mechanism that is globally accepted for sporting fairness and merit. With PPG a club that played a lower number of matches with relatively more points accrued will be ahead in coefficient against a club that played more matches but with comparatively lesser points accrued.
“Again when two clubs are tied in the same coefficient, the next is to calculate and apply the head to head rule with the advantage given to the club with a lesser number of matches played.
“That explains the situation where a club which was already on the second position on the log could possibly descend to 4th position while a club on 4th position ascends to 2nd position when PPG is applied “. he concluded
Reacting to Chukwuemeka’s comments, General Manager of Rivers United FC, Dr. Okey Kpalukwu noted that the comments were flawed.
He also advised Chukwuemeka to desist from arrogating himself a designation he does not officially occupy.
“Where there’s no head to head or an inconclusive head to head, what happens?,” Dr. Kpalukwu queried while speaking exclusively to the club’s official website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.
“Alloy Chukwuemeka is a former NPFL club owner’s Secretary whose tenure expired long ago.
“He must, as a matter of decency, stop arrogating himself a position and designation of Executive Secretary which he does not officially command.
“He wasn’t at any time elected as an Executive Secretary of the NPFL club owners.
“We (NPFL club owners) had secretaries before Chukwuemeka’s expired tenure and non was our spokesman except the Chairman,” Dr. Kpalukwu concluded.
