By Amaechi Agbo

Crisis has hit the proposed kickoff of the 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL season slated for January 8 as Club Owners have withdrawn their participation in the new season.

The Chairman, Club Owners Association, Barr Isaac Danladi confirmed the development in a release issued on Christmas Day.

According the release, the Club Owners vowed not to attend the Wednesday, December 28 draw for the new season neither would they participate in the league if the Interim Management Committee, IMC goes ahead to adopt an abridged format for the new season against a majority decision for a straight league.

Below is the full release:

Notice To Member-Clubs

This is to bring to your notice that we are in receipt of the above circular inviting clubs for the 2023 NPFL draws on abridged league format.

Consequently, I wish to further inform members and state categorically that this is not in consonance with the joint decision of clubs and IMC at the last meeting of Wednesday 21st Dec 2022 whereby it was agreed inter-alia that the abridged league proposed by IMC and the straight league which was overwhelmingly proposed by the clubs would be communicated to NFF by the IMC for further necessary action.

We are therefore perplexed and amazed that just few hours after the meeting, IMC came up with a circular fixing 28th December as date for draws based on abridge league format.

We wish to categorically dissociate ourselves with the circular and state firmly that clubs would not be part of the draws on 28th December 2022, neither would we participate in an abridged league.

The clubs remain resolute in our quest to have a better league that will endure, hence we cannot be part of an arrangement that will not be beneficial to football development in Nigeria.

In view of the above, a meeting of the club Owners is being proposed for 28th December 2022 in Asaba Delta state to review matters arising among other things.

Details of the meeting and other logistics will be announced soonest, please.

We appreciate members for their patience and good conducts since this saga started.

Enjoy the bliss of the Christmas celebrations.

Thank you

Barr. Isaac Danladi

Chairman Club Owners Association.