Sports
LMC Considers Abridged League
Kelechi Iheanacho (10) in action during the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
The League Management Company (LMC) is considering an abridged Nigeria Premier League for the coming season, officials have disclosed.
The new League season is now expected to kick off in February 2014 immediately after the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) in South Africa.
The season will also be expected to end in May to allow for the preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Organisers are now likely to split the 20-team championship into two groups with the top two clubs from each group clashing in a round-robin playoff to determine the league champions.
“Clubs are already getting feelers that the new League season will be an abridged one so as to meet the FIFA May deadline for the World Cup preparations,” a club official informed.
Clubs may well kick against this format as they did for the past season, arguing that an abridged League would also mean ‘an abridged budget’ from their various state governments.