Secretary-general of the lower division Nigerian National League (NNL), Lawrence Katken has refuted media reports that eight teams will be promoted from the second-tier to the top-flight this month.
In contrast with widespread information at the weekend that the NNL Congress had agreed that eight teams will have to be upgraded to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), due to time constraints, Katken told sports247.ng it is all false.
It had also been reported in various media at the weekend that the NNL decision will be communicated to League Management Company (LMC) Monday ahead of approval at a stakeholders meeting later in the week.
The eight teams that qualified from four zones are Bendel Insurance, 3SC of Ibadan, Remo Stars of Ikenne, Delta Force of Asaba, Kogi United of Lokoja, Gombe United, Real Stars and Kada FC of Kaduna.
It was gathered further that, at the end of the meeting, NNL’s highest decision organ agreed that all the eight teams that qualified for the Super 8 be given automatic promotion to the elite league division.
There was said to have been a consensus of the executive body of the NNL to cancel a Super 8 competition that had been agreed on at the beginning of the league season, due to time constrain.
However, Katken told sports247.ng that the NNL disciplinary committee did not make any pronouncement on ending the league with eight teams ready to be promoted to the elite division.
Katken said: “No information has been given as such by the disciplinary committee.
“I have no knowledge of the information making the rounds as regards the Nigeria National League promoting eight teams to the NPFL.”
