By Dorcas Francis Koji
The ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Pre-Season Tournament in Jos, Plateau State, is designed to help Nigeria’s representatives in CAF club competitions achieve the match fitness and cohesion required ahead of their continental campaigns.
NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, disclosed this shortly after Tuesday’s draws, explaining that the NPFL and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) agreed to organise the tournament as part of efforts to complement the clubs’ preparations for the new season.
Owumi said the timing of the NPFL season, which is expected to begin shortly before the CAF club competitions, made it important for the country’s continental representatives to have competitive matches before their international assignments.
“Considering that our season would be commencing a few days to the CAF Club matches, the NFF and NPFL resolved that it would benefit the clubs to have their players participate in a competitive tournament to further deepen their fitness and cohesion,” Owumi said.
NPFL champions Rangers International, runners-up Rivers United and Federation Cup winners El-Kanemi Warriors are among the clubs taking part in the tournament.
They are joined by Plateau United and Mighty Jets, who received wild-card invitations as representatives of the host state, while Katsina United were brought in at short notice to replace Shooting Stars.
According to Owumi, the tournament format has been structured to ensure that the clubs preparing for continental competition receive sufficient competitive action.
He explained that the participating teams would be guaranteed four matches from the round-robin phase through to the final, giving the clubs an opportunity to assess their squads and fine-tune their tactical plans.
“We acknowledge the support of the NFF in securing the buy-in of the Plateau State Government to host the tournament, and we expect to see the clubs and their players take advantage of the platform to fine-tune their match preparations and plans going into the competition,” Owumi added.
Rivers United, Plateau United, El-Kanemi Warriors and Mighty Jets were involved in the opening fixtures on Matchday 1.
On Matchday 2, El-Kanemi Warriors are scheduled to face Katsina United, while Rangers International will take on Rivers United.
All matches are being played at the New Jos Township Stadium, with the tournament final scheduled for August 23.
The competition is expected to provide the participating clubs, particularly Nigeria’s CAF representatives, with valuable match practice as they prepare for the demands of domestic and continental football.
Leave a comment