Some proprietors of clubs operating in the Nationwide League One (NLO) have kicked against the March 8 commencement date for the 2021 season, citing ‘short notice’ by the organisers.
Some of the club owners, who spoke with The Guardian yesterday, said they were shocked by the short notice from the organisers that the 2021 Season would start on March 8.
“They just told us now that the season will begin on March 8, and it will last for just three weeks,” one of the club owners said. “We won’t accept it because they did not take the clubs into consideration. For instance, Lagos alone has over 20 clubs playing in the NLO league. The organisers said we should go to Ikenne, Ogun State for our matches. They did not consider the difficulties the club will encounter in searching for hotel accommodation. They didn’t also consider the security of the players and officials. And it is not safe for people to move about searching for hotels in this COVID-19 period.”
The 2021 NLO league matches will be played in eight venues. The NLO, formerly called Nigerian Amateur League is the third level of club football in Nigeria. Every year, up to eight teams are promoted to the Professional Division One.
The 2019/20 season was cancelled when the COVID-19 outbreak forced all sporting activities to a stop. Hence, there was no promotion or relegation of teams.
Efforts to reach the league organisers yesterday were unsuccessful.
