The football club Owners Association of Nigeria have given reasons why it rejected the proposed Abridged League format put forward by the Interim Management committee of the Nigeria Professional Football League NPFL, #Desertsports has gathered.

In a Christmas message to the Football stakeholders in Nigeria, club Owners in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman Chief Barr Isaac Danladi and the Executive Secretary Chief Alloy Chukwuemeka described the proposed Abridged League format as a caricature of the NPFL, a League once rated as the best League in Africa.

The Association said , the only time Abridged League was played was in a special circumstances when there was leadership crisis in the Federation which affected the smooth running of football thus Abridged League was taken as an option.

But for a League that has stabilized over the years to revert back to Abridged League is like taking the system ten years backward.

Club Owners said that it was a majority decision by 16+1 clubs against only 3 clubs that supported the Abridged League hence it was surprised to see the IMC adopting Abridged League against popular decisions, thereby deceiving the NFF on the true outcome of the joint meeting.

The Association argued that the ongoing CAF Competitions will end in June 2023 and next edition to commence in September/October 2023 coupled with the fifa World Cup break which will alter many Confederations programmes, hence it asked why the hurry, It queried .

Associating Nigeria Football with an bridged League in this century is a big slap on the country as a great soccer nation of the world, because both Enyimba and other clubs who made Nigeria proud were not champions of Abridged League, it said.

The Association however insisted that Clubs would resist the Abridged League format by shunning the draws slated for 28th December 2022 in Abuja, just as a meeting of the Club Owners has been slated for the same day at Toprank Hotel in Asaba Delta State.

The entire football followers await NFF intervention as the NPFL is expected to kick off in January 8th 2023.

Source: Desert Sports.

  Bar. Isaac Danladi, Chief Alloy Chukwuemeka, Club Owners, IMC