Ex-Arsenal Chief Urges Resolution Of NPL Crisis

A former Vice-President of Arsenal FC of London, David Dein, has urged the Nigeria’s football stakeholders to close ranks to resolve the crisis currently bedevilling the Nigeria Premier League (NPL).

Dein told newsmen at the Eko Atlantic Beach in Lagos that the ongoing impasse may stunt the growth of the league.

The NPL’s 2012/2013 season that was scheduled to kick off on December13, had to be postponed because of the dissolution of the body’s board on December 5 by the NPL Congress.

The development had since thrown the league into a quandary, following which the scheduled commencement of the league was again postponed until February 16, 2013.

The league’s regulatory body had been caught up in series of intractable crises since 2010, which had led to the league being denied of a viable title sponsor, to run its programmes.

“So it’s very important that you get together and put a halt to the festering crisis that has engulfed the league. The NPL needs a strong leadership at the helm.

“You know, if you are rowing a boat and your passengers are not heading in the same direction with you, the boat will end up going in circles.

“I am not being critical of Nigeria, but the developments in the NPL could be likened to the country’s fractious politics,” the former vice-president said. When asked to assess the continent’s football development and its prospects, Dein told NAN that organisation was a critical factor.

“It boils down to organisation: a strong board of directors. We need people in this business for the right reasons, not for any purpose or gain, because people have to be true to what they do.