Sports

NPFL, Clubs, LMC Hold Mid-Season Review Session

Published

9 years ago

May 17, 2017

At the end of a midseason review session in Abuja, Monday, Chairmen and General Managers of clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) rated the half season as successful with a call on the League Management Company (LMC) to improve on some lapses that were observed in the course of the first 190 matches. On their side, the clubs pledged to be proactive in dealing with fans who are involved in violent acts at the stadium by apprehending the fans and handing them over to law enforcement agents for prosecution.
The midseason review session was convened by the LMC at its office in Abuja ahead the start of the second stanza of the 2016/17 season on Sunday, May 21.
One of the far reaching decisions adopted at the session was a proposal by clubs that fines imposed on any club for rules breaches must be paid within ten working days failure of which, all other matches of the club after the deadline would be forfeited to their opponents. The LMC accepted the proposal which now replaces the previous process that deducts the total fine from the club earnings at the end of the season.
The Club’s Chairmen led by Barrister Isaac Danladi commended the LMC on the management of the half season and the proactive decisions taken each time regulations were breached. He expressed the clubs’ resolve to ensure that such incidences that tend to mar otherwise exciting matches are reduced if not eliminated.
“The clubs are in agreement that the LMC tried very well to ensure that the first stanza of the 2016/17 season was successfully concluded and we want to commend you for all the decisions you reached on reported incidences because there was hardly any club that challenged those decisions”, Danladi stated.
Presided over by the LMC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, the session amongst other issues discussed, also tasked the LMC to properly review the fixtures for the remaining half of the season to reduce fixture congestion which the clubs said affected not just their finances but also the physical conditioning of their playing squad.
Dikko in his remarks harped on the need to curb the growing fans’ restiveness at match venues and challenged the Club Administrators to lead the campaign for peaceful atmosphere at match venues. He recalled that the LMC had made it mandatory for the host club chairman and the visiting counterpart sit together in the box.
“When we mandated the club leaderships to sit together at matches, the reasoning was that when both leaders are seen in such friendly stance, tension will be reduced amongst their supporters.
“These fans read your body language and when a club chairman reacts negatively to a Referees’ decision, the wrong signal has been sent to the supporters hence I urge you to eschew display of emotions while watching matches. It is your responsibility to lead this campaign for friendly atmosphere at matches”, charged Dikko.
The LMC, he also pledged will intensify its liaison with the leadership of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA)and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Referees’ Committee towards improving the level of officiating by exploring possibilities of additional guidelines for qualification to manage NPFL matches.

Sports

New W.W. Whyte Tournament Focuses On Talent Discovery – Engr. Alabere

Published

3 days ago

November 19, 2025

The Tide

The Chairman of Grassroots Initiative, Engr. Promise Alabere has reiterated that the New W.W. Whyte Secondary Football Tournament was to discover hidden players from the grassroots and groom them to stardom.

He stated that the his organisation is partnering with the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) for the football tournament, adding that in the first edition 32 players were discovered and NDDC, and his organisation are to fixing them into various clubs.

Engr. Alabere said this while briefing sports journalists last Tuesday, in Port Harcourt, and expressed optimism that the second edition which have 22 secondary schools participating would be exciting and impressive.

” The essence of this tournament is to catch them young because in the 1980s and 1990s most of the players that played for NNPC, Sharks and other big clubs in the country were discovered through this competition.

” Even me I was a product of the W.W. Whyte tournament, as I started playing for the Nigerian Police football club when I was in class four. But this competition stopped about 20 years when two schools resort to bloody clash during one of their games.

According to him the second edition expanded to schools in six Local Government Areas, saying that it will be better than the previous in terms of organisation and others.

“We want to make this edition more exciting and beneficial to all participating schools because the first edition was on experiment but this edition is no longer an experiment” he stated.

The Chairman of Grassroots Initiative,used the forum to advice all participating schools to conduct themselves in a good manner and adhere to rules of the competition.

He equally thanked NDDC for being its major sponsor of the tournament.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Hoopers Ready For NPBL Title Defence – Captain

Published

3 days ago

November 18, 2025

The Tide

Rivers Hoopers captain Victor Anthony Koko has said that his team is mentally ready for the challenge of retaining their Nigeria Premier Basketball League title when the 2025 season Final Four phase holds from November 21 – 23 in Port Harcourt, Tidesports source reports.
The Kings Men, who won back-to-back NPBL titles in 2023 and 2024 unbeaten, are chasing their seventh title.
They will be up against Lagos Legends, Gboko City Chiefs, and Nigeria Customs, as they hope to retain the title they won last year and also pick the ticket to next year’s Basketball Africa League.
Following the conclusion of the Final Eight earlier this month, the KingsMen have had time to fine-tune preparations ahead of their title defence at the Final Four, with the skipper stating that he and his teammates are fully prepared to retain the championship.
“This time around, everyone is ready; everyone is mentally ready. We understand what is at stake, so we need to go all out. And right now, with the level of energy I’ve seen from my team during practice, I don’t think we’re going to be a team that just wants to have fun [on the court]. We’re a championship-winning team, and we want to retain that championship,” he stressed.
Koko has won the league seven times in his career, and he is looking to help the Port Harcourt club reach its height.
“I want us to win the 2025 NPBL title. It’s on my mind, day and night: Hoopers Champions. And I’m assuring our fans that we’re not going to let them down. It’s happening here in Port Harcourt, and we’re going to make them proud.”

Sports

Barau Beat Rangers To Move Out Of Relegation Zone

Published

3 days ago

November 18, 2025

The Tide

Nigeria Premier Football League newcomers, Barau FC have zoomed out of the drop zone after they defeated Rangers International FC 2-0 on Sunday in a rescheduled tie played in Kano.
The Maliya Boys got their goals through Muhammed Umar and Joseph Kemin in the 26th and 76th minutes to record their third win of the season
They have moved to the 16th spot with 13 points from 12 games but the loss by the Flying Antelopes see them slid to the seventh spot with 19 points from 13 games.
The home win is no doubt a relief to Barau FC head coach, Ladan Bosso who has seen his job brought under scrutiny following the Maliya Boys impressive start to the season.