Thank you Fans, Expect More this Season, says LMC Chairman
From Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC) has come an
expression of deep appreciation to fans of the Nigeria Professional Football
League (NPFL) Clubs for their support all through the 2014/15 season season and
a pledge to offer more in all aspects of the league’s organisation in the
2015/16 season which kicks off on Sunday, February 21.
Dikko spoke on the heels of the successful NPFL Super 4
tournament which held over two rounds with the first leg in Kaduna and the last
leg concluded in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State last Friday.
He said the fans were the most valuable assets of the league in
the last season as they succeeded in repossession the league. According to
Dikko, “the success of the last season goes down to the fans, together, we
repossessed our league and we will do more to keep our league together”.
He said fans should expect more this season in the area of
tightened security, players’ welfare, media coverage, governing rules
implementation and improved atmosphere at games.
“Fans should expect more when the season starts on February
21. We will work to ensure safety at match grounds for fans, match officials
and the players as all the groundwork done last season with the office of the
Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps
will be implemented to tighten security before, during and after games”, the
LMC Chairman assured fans.
On players’ welfare, Dikko said learnings from the last season
will be put into use to prevent a recurrence of the magnitude experienced. “We
are putting place with the clubs some safeguards that will reduce if not
eliminate the problem of indebtedness to players by their employers. This is
the reason we are asking the clubs to provide financial guarantees as part of
their licensing requirement and above all, the LMC will ensure the
implementation of Rules and Framework which has been updated to take care of
some of the observed lapses of the last season”.
Continuing, the LMC Chairman promised that “we will work at
expanding our media platforms to reach more Nigerians and this will be in the
area of free to air television broadcast of our games, live radio commentaries,
social media platforms and the conventional media which we will explore
partnerships to ensure wider coverage and reporting of league activities”.
Dikko also commended the Referees for the quality of officiating
in the last season and charged them to aim to improve delivery of match
arbitration. “To a large extent, we have ensured the fidelity of match outcomes
and will support the Referees to improve on the standard attained last season
as the credibility of results contributed to the surge of interest witnessed
last season.
Photo caption…
At the unveiling of the 2015/16
Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season’s Official Match Ball, from
left, LMC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Speaker,
Hon. Onofiok Luke and Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Youth and Sports,
Hon. Monday Uko at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo
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