To fully access the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season, one must first assess or appreciate its weaknesses and improvements before making commendations and proposals to develop it further.
With just one game left, the August 31, 2024, launch of the Nigerian top league is about to come to an end.
As most of us have remarked, this is the first time in history that the league will end before all of Europe’s premier leagues and beyond.
Traditionally, before now, the Nigerian league is infamous for its late starts and late finishes, as we all recalled.
This is unquestionably a great and encouraging step for the league, given that all previous attempts to synchronize its calendar with the world’s top leagues failed.
That explains why our teams’ performances in the CAF continental championships were frequently hampered by the season’s late start and end, which also harmed the winning teams’ chances of performing well in the African championships.
However, it is disappointing and concerning that our teams’ performances in continental tournaments are not very impressive, as they are typically eliminated early in the event.
However, now that Nigeria’s CAF Cup participants will have more time to prepare for continental matches, it is easy to conclude that the Nigerian top league has finally undergone a positive transformation.
Another important and advantageous benefit of aligning the NPFL league schedule with other leagues is that the transfer window will now open at the same time as those in Europe.
This will enable players to travel for tryouts with European teams without interfering with their clubs’ operations and preparation.
This is because NPFL clubs have often complained about losing their best players to top African and European clubs during the season, which hurts their teams. However, with current developments, such uncertainty will be decreased or even eliminated completely.
We are aware that Nigerian representatives in CAF competitions have historically performed poorly as stated above, resulting in their early elimination, but with current developments, I am optimistic that things will improve because they will have enough time to fully integrate more quality players into their fold.
Furthermore, we have seen an improvement in match scheduling this season, which has decreased fixture congestion and enhanced weekly match regularity.
We also witnessed an increase in media coverage as a result of agreements with local and digital broadcast outlets that helped establish traction.
We equally witnessed an increased Club Licensing which made more clubs meet CAF/FIFA basic criteria.
Despite this, there are some visible obstacles because stadium facilities remain inadequate in some or all states, disrupting smooth and consistent play.
There have also been reports of poor player/official welfare, with salary and bonus payments delayed in several clubs.
We also heard about some questionable officiating which led to so many wrong and undeserved results. That is why the integrity issues are still raised occasionally.
We’ve seen how some referees collect riches from corrupt club officials in order to provide them an advantageous result against their opponents, whether at home or away.
I’m delighted the season is coming to an end and there has been little or no violence during matches, which generally ends in match officials being beaten and manhandled, some players being injured, and the visitors’ vehicle(s) being broken and damaged.
In most cases, the LMC used to impose temporary bans and significant fines on the offending teams prior to the match’s actual outcome.
However, one thing is certain: for our league to be truly excellent and similar to others, the organizers must do everything possible to eliminate dishonest match officials.
Most of us see them as kill joy or delight of our games, for selecting or determining the winners of matches even before the match begins or played.
They generally colluded with wicked home teams’ club officials and robbed visitors of triumphs once their hands were greased.
They accomplish their evil against the visiting teams by awarding an unjustified penalty to the home side, adding unjust time after 90 minutes of full-time play, or engaging in any other wicked behavior that favors the home team’s victory at all costs.
To check or halt the excesses of these poor referees, the league managers should reinstall match assessors to secretly evaluate match officials, and anyone found wanting should face a lifetime suspension.
The league board should also require every match official to reveal their wealth, including their properties, before each football season.
Similarly, as the football season comes to a close, most centres are reporting minimal or no spectator turnout.
In my assessment, I acknowledged some degree of progress because there is a significant leap in calendar alignment, professionalism, and competitive balance. But sadly, full commercialization and privatization remain unrealized.
I also noticed that grassroots integration, female league synergy, and data analytics adoption are limited or missing in some circumstances.
The league’s business strategy (TV rights, merchandise, and sponsorships) definitely needs to be improved and diversified.
Based on the foregoing, I urge that the next season’s fixtures be released early (June/July 2025), with clear timelines and adherence to the CAF/FIFA calendars.
There is a need for refereeing overhaul. This is to make a VAR pilot mandatory in some selected or all stadiums, along with digital monitoring.
Club Licensing Enforcement: LMC must force clubs to meet financial, infrastructural, and youth team obligations.
Fan Engagement Strategy: Digital ticketing, mobile apps, and community matches.
Revenue Optimization: Partner with private investors for centralized commercial strategy.
Strategic International Partnerships: Clubs to partner with European/South American counterparts for talent exposure and technical capacity building.
Finally, Broadcast Expansion: LMC could use more streaming platforms for local/international broadcast.
Proposed Checklist and Timeline for 2025/2026 NPFL Season.
For LMC to achieve more success in the upcoming football season, I proposed the following timeline and activity.
Timeline Activity
June 2025 – End-of-season review and club licensing audit
– Transfer window opens
July 2025 – League fixtures released
– Pre-season friendlies
– Super Cup match
August 2025 – Season kick-off
– Coaches/Referees seminar (compulsory)
Oct–Nov 2025 – FIFA breaks accommodated
– Youth League roll-out
December 2025 – Mid-season window opens
– Performance audit on officiating & security
January 2026 – Second round begins
April 2026 – Stadium inspection and compliance checks
May 2026 – Season ends
June 2026 – Post-season awards
– Club licensing review for CAF competitions
Closing Thoughts: For sure the NPFL is steadily maturing. But for 2025/2026 to be a successful season, stakeholders’ synergy is vital. The LMC (or any governing body) must enforce standards.
Investment in infrastructure, data, and fan culture will be the game changers.
Goodluck.