Sports Administrator Vincent Akinbami has applauded the interim management committee (IMC) for the reformations that are set to begin in the 2022/23 NPFL season insisting that they maintain thier stand to ensure thorough process for club licensing.
Speaking with aports247.ng Akinbami revealed his excitement and gratefulness to the body following the meeting between IMC, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) club chairmen, referees which according to him is a sign that the league will begin on the heat.
He further acknowledged that the abridged league format is a welcome development because it’s aimed at showing that the league finished on time so that a new calendar can start by August which will help to align the country’s calendar with other African countries and of course other European countries.
“In the first place, it will help players transfer when teams are on break, they move and not during the season players will be snatched away when league is not on break.”
“It will also help teams to prepare well for the continent, when our league finishes by May, there will be June, July break and pre-season before the league starts in August and also before continental games start, our teams will have played between 7-8 matches which will help to blend in with the new players,” he allayed.
“Of course, it’s also an advantage because it would have brought stability into the calendar of football which might help us to have a financial year end which has never been in the idea of the people running the league itself.”
On the issue of club licensing, Akinbami advocated that there should be a thorough process and the IMC must ensure that the clubs go through the due process and fulfill all necessary obligations demanded of them.
“If we are to follow process requirements in licensing, none of the 20 teams will be licensed and that’s why we have been talking about the IMC which will possibly have a time table from now towards next year to see how clubs will start meeting the licensing requirements, what they need to meet in the process.”
“I believe that if IMC will continue to take it’s stand, they are the regulators, the club owners might be shareholders but the IMC are the one to regulate to ensure that the best practices are being put in place and these clubs must meet them for them to run like a professional club side,” he concluded.
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