By Our Correspondent

Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL will face few weeks of fixture congestions no thanks to the looming deadline imposed on the leagues in the Continent by CAF who scheduled the draw for the 2021 CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup to hold on August 15, 2021.

The Confederation of African Football at the end of its Executive Committee meeting, which was chaired by its president, Patrice Motsepe, on Friday in Rabat, Morocco, said the draws for both competitions would be held latest August 15.

The kick-off will be September 10, 2021.

This invariably has out the NPFL in serious 0ressure as the League Management Company, LMC battles to beat the deadline.

“The kick-off will be September 10, 2021. The draw for the preliminary rounds will be made on August 15, 2021 at the latest. Bids to host the interclub finals will be open in November 2021,” CAF said in a statement on its website.

With the league entering week 34 this Wednesday, every club in the league is expected to play tow of three matches in the remainder of the season.

However, with the LMC being able to ensure that outstanding matches were all sorted out by now, some clubs who have reached the quarter-final of the 2021 Aiteo Cup may not be lucky.

For instance, after playing their midweek Matchday 34 this Wednesday, July 21, Nasarawa United, Kano Pillars and Sunshine Stars will also be ready to face their Aiteo Cup opponents on on Friday, July 23, 2021.

Thereafter they will be back in the first of play during the weekend in matchday 35 fixtures in the NPFL.

Sunshine Stars midfielder Kehinde Adedipe, told Punch that as football players they were used to the stress of the game.

“There is nothing we can do about it, they have done it already, it will only cause fatigue to players and you know everybody is not the same. So, it will affect the performance of some clubs and players. Even the journey will be tedious for us.

“We left Gombe for Jos after we finished playing last night (Sunday), and we had to move early in the morning from Jos to Akure because we have a league game on Wednesday.

“After the league game, we will travel the next morning for the Aiteo Cup on Friday, and then we travel back again to play a league game on Sunday. You can see that fatigue will set in, but there is nothing we can do about it, they said they have to meet CAF’s deadline, so we have to go by what they prepared for us.”

Akwa United tops the log with 61 points after 33 games followed by Nasarawa United on 38 points.

In the midweek fixtures, Akwa United will battle Warri Wolves while Nasarawa United are guests to Lobi Stars in Makurdi, Benue State.