Sports
NPL, Broke, Shelves Midweek Matches
The Nigeria Premier League (NPL), has decided to shelve midweek games billed for Wednesday because they do not have the necessary funds.
Tunji Babalola, acting Executive Secretary of the league body, said that there was no money to pay the indemnities of match officials.
“We should have played the postponed Week Three matches this Wednesday but there is no money and we cannot subject the clubs to pay another match indemnity after paying the one for last week,” Babalola told Goal.com.
“This should have been the best time to play the last postponed games but there is nothing we can do except to try and see whether we can still play the games in no distant future,” he said.
The Nigeria Premier League enters Week Eight this weekend and there has been financial scandal in the league body, which forced all home teams to pay the match indemnities to referees on behalf of the NPL last weekend.
Babalola promised that the NPL would look for funds to pay the match officials this weekend.
“We hope to get some money to be able to pay the match indemnities this weekend. It is not good that clubs will pay the indemnities because we want to maintain sanity in the league.
“As much as possible, we want to make the clubs have less contact with match officials and one way we can do it is for the NPL to continue to pay the indemnities,” Babalola said.
Meanwhile, coaches of Sharks FC of Port Harcourt and Akwa United of Uyo have pleaded with the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to re-adjust the ongoing 2012 league match fixtures.
They made the appeal last Saturday in Port Harcourt after visiting Akwa United held their hosts to a goalless draw at the Sharks Stadium.
Sharks coach, John Obuh, said the current fixtures, which made clubs to play twice a week, were becoming strenuous.
Obuh said the development was affecting the fortunes of his team in the six-week-old competition.
“We planned to win this game but luck was not on our side today. It was a good game, in spite of the score line,’’ he said.
His Akwa United counterpart, Solomon Ogbeide, corroborated Obuh’s appeal, saying,“the fixtures are becoming strenuous on clubs.
“We appeal to the league organisers, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), to make the fixtures lighter for clubs’’.
Ogbeide said his team was not ambitious to win the league because they were new comers to the Nigerian premiership.
He said, however, that if they eventually win the league, they would be happy.
The match was played behind closed doors because of the sanctions imposed on Sharks by the board of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL).
The order followed unruly behaviour by the club’s supporters during a match against Warri Wolves in week four.
The Bayelsa State government, yesterday, announced that the marathon will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2026.
The inaugural race is owned by the Bayelsa State Government and will be organised by Nilayo Sports Management Limited, a sports management company.
Under the theme “The Reveal,” the race represents a bold unveiling of Bayelsa’s immense human and cultural potential to the international community, inviting the world to witness the resilience, grit, and talent rooted in the heart of the Niger Delta.
According to the organisers, the race will be flagged off at 9:30 a.m., at the Opolo Roundabout, guiding participants through a carefully designed 10-kilometre route that highlights the scenic beauty and vibrant atmosphere of Yenagoa.
The course will culminate at Peace Park Square, where athletes will cross the finish line into a grand celebration of endurance, unity, and community spirit.
To elevate the experience for runners and spectators alike, the finish venue will host a high-energy post-race concert featuring performances from top A-list artistes, blending sport and entertainment in a festival-style atmosphere.
The organisers directed all registered participants to collect their race bibs and kits at the designated Peace Park Square between March 30 and April 3, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
The race, according to them, is currently on track for World Athletics accreditation, underscoring the commitment of both the Bayelsa State Government and Nilayo Sports Management Limited to delivering an event that meets the highest global standards.
The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, on Friday continued the Commission’s nationwide appreciation tour with a visit to Abeokuta, where outstanding junior athlete, Majekodunmi Afusat Bisola, was presented with a cheque of N3 million.
The presentation forms part of the NSC’s initiative to recognise and reward exceptional junior athletes who distinguished themselves in 2025 and contributed significantly to Nigeria’s medal haul.
Majekodunmi delivered an impressive run of performances on the track. At the last edition of the National Sports Festival, she stormed to gold in the 400m and the 4x400m relay. She replicated the double triumph at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Junior Championship, in Abeokuta, before emerging as one of the standout stars at the African Youth Games in Luanda, Angola.
Speaking during the presentation, Olopade explained that the Commission deemed it necessary to extend financial appreciation to grassroots athletes after elite performers had earlier received grants running into thousands of dollars.
“A few weeks ago, after paying grants to our elite athletes, we agreed tthere was a need to also appreciate these young, budding talents who made Nigeria proud last year,” he said.
He disclosed that of the 376 medals recorded by Nigerian athletes in 2025, more than 200 were won by grassroots talents, underscoring the importance of sustained investment in youth development.