This year 2020 has not been a very good one for the Nigerian Professional Football League NPFL, it is just four months into the year 2020 and many tragic things has already happened. it started from the death of Remo Stars deputy captain Tiyamu Kazeem who was knocked down by an oncoming vehicle which was initiated by a SARS operative in the state who claimed he is a yahoo boy.
Another was Kano Pillars Manager was killed by unknown gunman right in front of his family members in Febuary after which Nassaraw United player Chineme Martains who died in the filed of play. Martins died due to bad or poor medical materials in the league. The Nigerian Professional Football League NPFL were just trying to accept the news of the death of the player before another happened again.
Enugu Rangers International star player Ifeanyi George and two other academy players died in a ghastly motor accident, with all of the sad news in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) another yet came again. The coronavirus pandemic, a virus which has claimed over 40,000 lives and has put all sporting activities in the world on hold.
The Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) were among the last league to suspend their league in Africa, the need to suspend their league came after Egypt, Ghana and Morocco suspended their own league ans with the cases increasing Nigeria. All the league in Europe also had their league suspended including the epic leagues’ Champions League and Europa.
Presently, some clubs in Europa has already started plans on how to get back to training and rest,me their leagues, the German Bundesliga was the first to resume training. Real Sociedad of Spain also resumed training although they are training groups and in very minimum number, two or three players at most training together and there is hardly body contact. Recently Italy also announced that they will soon resume their league as well.
The English Premier League are also in talks of resuming the league, they concluded that they will test players before play and the remaining games will be played behind closed doors. Football fans in Nigeria has been asking the question what is the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) doing about their own league? Are there plans to resume the league soon?
Should the Nigerian Professional Football League resume now they will be the first and only African team to have resumed since they went on suspension. Recently the president of the country Mohammadu Buhari extended the country’s lockdown in some part of the country to 14 more days because the virus is very active in the country.
The Nigerian Profesional Football League (NPFL) has however opened up to the fans and the clubs with their players that life is more important than the game and so there no plans yet to resume the league.