NPFL Suspends all League Games
The Nigerian Professional Football league (NPFL) Suspends all local leagues game in response to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria. Nigeria has a reported eleven cases in the country of which of the patients are in Lagos. Nigeria has joined the likes of Morocco, South Africa and Ghana in suspending their league.
The NPFL are currently in the matchday25 before the news of the suspension was released yesterday. The League Management Council made the announcement via a statement published on its website. The statement read: “NPFL has been suspended till further notice in line with global health preventive protocol against the coronavirus disease.
“In suspending the remaining league matches, the LMC said it would review the decision after consulting the nation’s health authorities, namely, the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC,” the statement said. The suspension is coming weeks after the the daeth of Nasarawa United player Martins who slumped and died in the field of play.
NPFL league players are in total support of the move and sys the suspension would help prevent the spread of the virus among players. Kwara United player Isah Jibril Saidu says for now he is still in Kwara where he plays for pending when the whole coronavirus thing will be sorted out.
According to some of the NPFL players they said: “The suspension is good because of everyone’s health, even in Europe and other countries their leagues have been postponed for the health of players and the citizens,” Charles Okafor captain of FC Ifeanyi Ubah said concurred as well.
This suspension will also help teams that are not doing well in the league to talk to themselves and get back on course. Clubs like Kwara United, Adamawa United and Jigawa Golden Stars who are all in the relegation zone will now take out time to access themselves and see possible ways of bouncing back. For now, a date has not given yet for the resumption like in the European countries where specifield dates are given.
The English Premier League recently changed their opening date from the initial 4th of April to 30th of April. In the Italian league the resumption date is 3rd and no statement has been made about the date fixed whether or not it will be rescheduled.