New NPFL Season To Kick off February 21- LMC

The 2015/16 Nigeria Professional Football League regular season has been scheduled for kick off on the 21st of February, shortly after the completion of the 2016 CHAN championship in Rwanda.

This was confirmed today by the League Management Company, the body in charge of running the affairs of the Nigerian topflight, adding that the league will also come to an end on October 2, 2016.

The LMC also revealed that the LMC said it has been drawn up based on usual consultations with our participating clubs and proposed fixtures of the Nigeria Football Federation's (NFF) Federation Cup.

“We have following various consultations been properly guided to streamline the activities of the NPFL, the NFF Federations Cup as well as CAF competition dates,” the LMC stated

It further explained that “provision has been made for the NFF Club Licensing compliance and cut-off dates inserted to ensure compliance by clubs as required by CAF.”

The first round of the NPFL Super 4 will hold in Kaduna from January 20-24 while the second round will be played in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State from February 1-5.

“The rationale for the two rounds of NPFL Super 4 is to get our clubs that will be playing on the continent to play at least six competitive games from the two tournaments to sufficiently prime them to reasonable match fitness. The tournament will as usual be played on a round-robin structure.” The preliminary rounds of the CAF Club competitions will hold on the weekend of February 12-14.

On the implementation of the club licensing requirements, the LMC said that all clubs have been given a cut-off date of February 10 to ensure the settlement of any overdue payments to players and coaches arising from the 2014/15 season and or provide an acceptable financial guarantee instruments to secure the payments as well as tentative payment plan from the clubs proprietors.

LMC, as the NFF First Instant Body (FIB) on the management and operations of club licensing in Nigeria has also set a deadline of February 15, for the issuance of the NFF Club licensing Certificate as directed by CAF to clubs that have met the minimum criteria for participation in the 2016 NPFL season.