The 2023/2024 NPFL league season will now begin two weeks later than originally scheduled by the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Board.

The NPFL board initially requested that the new league season begin on August 26, a date that was ratified by the Club Owners Association on August 4 following a consultative meeting between the board and the association.

According to an IMC statement, the purpose for the extension is to fully prepare for a full season, as it will not be played in a truncated style.

It will be recalled that before club owners rejected the notion, the committee had suggested that the upcoming season be conducted similarly to the one that just ended.

The IMC also revealed that the newly launched NPFL live app, which was commissioned last week has not been fully utilised and tested across the selected stadia.

League venues such as the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina, Kwara State Sports Complex, Ilorin, New Jos Township Stadium, Zaria Road, Pantami Stadium, Gombe, Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan have already had the Al Cameras installed.

In the meantime, the draws for the new season will go ahead as scheduled on Thursday, August 17, 2023 in Lagos by the NPFL board. The participating clubs will be represented at the draws by the three Clubs Owners representatives on the league board.

It added that there is a clash of match schedules from the four Nigerian teams who are taking part in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup as they begin their preliminary stage later this weekend.

Reigning champions, Enyimba FC, Federation Cup winners, Bendel Insurance and South West giants, Remo Stars will be in action in CAF’s Inter Club competitions on the weekend of August 26 with Enyimba facing Libya’s Al Ahly Benghazi, Insurance facing ASO Chlef of Algeria while Remo face Ghanaian side Medeama SC. (Daily Trust)

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