NNL gets May 16 as new kickoff date

NNL chairman Emeka Inyama

The management board of the Nigeria National League (NNL) on Thursday decided to extend by two weeks the kickoff date of the 2014/15 league season.

The new season will now kick off on Saturday, May 16 instead of Saturday, May 2.

NNL chairman Emeka Inyama said his board is quite ready to kick-start the season on the

scheduled date of May 2 but has to accede to the passionate pleas by some clubs to have the kickoff date shifted.

“NNL is quite ready and has succeeded to put in place adequate logistics for smooth take off of the 2014/15 season on the agreed date of Saturday, May 2 but for the appeals of 13 clubs who couldn’t meet the registration deadline to have the kickoff date moved forward by some weeks.

“NNL has decided to move forward the commencement date by two weeks, that means the new kickoff date will now be on Saturday, May 16.

“We’ve equally decided that after the two-week grace any club still defaulting to meet up the registration requirements as well as guarantee on indemnity will be removed from the league schedule while those who fulfilled the requirements will be asked to go ahead with the season.

“The defaulting clubs, mainly government owned clubs, actually fingered the non-release of funds by their respective financiers as reasons for their failure to meet up with the initial timetable.

“We strongly believe the two-week extension will help the clubs to get everything right to enable them to feature in the upcoming league season,” said Inyama to supersport.com.

The NNL has already decided that the 2014/15 season will be an abridged league as clubs have been divided into four groups of eight teams each with the winners automatically gaining promotion to the Nigerian top flight while the bottom sides will be demoted to the Nigeria Nationwide League (NNWL).