NPFL Boss Elegbeleye talks tough on the league integrity, warns saboteurs

Posted : 12 May 2024

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The Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye, has stated in clear terms that impartiality, neutrality, and integrity of the league are of utmost importance to him, rather than aligning with any club for undue compromise.

The former Director-General of the National Sports Commission stated this while fielding questions.

He remarked that he was in charge of twenty (20) clubs and not just Sunshine Stars, emphasizing that he was not ready to jeopardize his personal integrity or the integrity of the top football league in Nigeria for any favors to a home club.

The soft-spoken Football manager, born in Ondo State, who was full of smiles, used the occasion to dismiss rumors that he would soon resign from the position of Second Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation and settle for the General Secretary of the nation's Football Governing Body.

In his words: "I always enjoy their jokes. I think they always want me to be in their news. This seems to make their news sellable," he jokingly submitted.

Also, regarding the issue of Sunshine Stars battling relegation with 7 matches remaining in the 2023/2024 league, the Obafemi Awolowo University graduate unequivocally clarified that he was meant to oversee the administration of 20 clubs and not to favor any club to cut corners.

"If my hometown club is relegation-bound, so be it. My integrity is important to me, and I don't want the league's integrity to be jeopardized. I don't make deals. I am a leader, not a dealer," NPFL Chairman Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye affirmed.

On the issue of the alleged threat of club owners boycotting the league due to the current financial situation, he hinted that he understands the present economic climate and the risks involved, but that may push them to reconsider the abridged league format if the prices of goods continue to surge.

"We are looking at how to address the threat of club owners/administrators boycotting the Premier League and considering the tested abridged league which saves costs and reduces risks.

"The short-distance journey makes the players look fresh. The abridged league is a tested option, and if the votes go in its favor, so be it," he concluded.

NPFL Boss Elegbeleye talks tough on the league integrity, warns saboteurs

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