October 2024

Towards ensuring a successful 2024/25 Nigeria National League (NNL) season billed to commence on November 30th, NNL Chairman Mr. George Aluo has advised all participating clubs to adhere to spirit of sportsmanship by avoiding violence.

He emphasized the importance of crowd control and unrestricted live streaming of both home and away matches.Speaking at the closing ceremony of the NNL Clubs’ Coaches and Media Managers Workshop held at Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, Mr. Aluo reiterated the league’s commitment to fair play and the safety of match officials.

Aluo assured the participants of timely payment of referees’ indemnities, a move aimed at maintaining impartial officiating in all matches.

“We are dedicated to creating a league where clubs can achieve victory solely on their performance, regardless of venue. Referees’ indemnities will be paid on time to support unbiased officiating”.

He called on clubs to dispense with the notion that they will experience bias officiating at away games.

Aluo encouraged clubs to allow away teams to freely stream matches, emphasising that clubs should have no concerns if they conduct matches fairly.

“We want a league where results are earned without controversy. Club managers are aware of the individuals who cause trouble, and it is essential we work together to eliminate such practices”.

He urged coaches to be cautious in their action in order not to incite the fans, even as he called on media officers to avoid inflammatory stories.

“It’s time to end the cycle of ‘we rob you, you rob us.’ The NNL board remains impartial and will not favor any club. Any grievances should be directed to the secretariat, where it will be addressed promptly”.

NNL Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Ayo AbdulRahman praised Mr. Aluo for his unwavering commitment to repositioning the league. He reminded coaches of the strict requirement to use the official league ball for training and match play.

The Pre season Seminar was handled by veteran coach Alphonsus Dike, Former Super Eagles player and Assistant coach Fatai Amoo, Caf and Fifa referees instructor Calistus Chukwujekwu, top media Practitioner Tony Ubani, John Joshua-Akanji and Tobex Tobechukwu.

The Nigeria National League (NNL) has honoured Chairman of Valuejet Airlines Honourable Kunle Soname with a prestigious merit award for his immense contributions to the development of football in the country. The award was bestowed on him during the closing ceremony of the three-day NNL Clubs’ Coaches and Media Managers Workshop held at Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, Ogun State.

Presenting the award, NNL Chairman, Mr. George Aluo commended Hon. Soname for his immense contributions to football development, Philanthropy and service to humanity.

The NNL boss also eulogized him for hosting the NNL three-day Workshop for Coaches and Media Managers by making available his sports complex and providing a conducive environment for the capacity building programme.

Responding, Hon. Soname commended the current NNL leadership for their innovations geared towards projecting and marketing ‘The Most Important League’.

He expressed optimism that the upcoming season in the second tier of Nigerian Club football will surpass previous seasons.

“I must commend the NNL Management under the leadership of George Aluo and his team for their innovations geared towards changing the face of the league. Last season was the best season ever, not because Beyond Limits won, but because of the fairness and that ensured teams winning at away. The league is getting better by the day and i am confident in the abilities of the current leadership that with their ideas the NNL will surpass the previous records and achievements,”‘ Soname said.

Soname also called on Media Managers to ensure they project the league in positive light just as the western media through their day-to-day reportage.

NNL Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Ayo AbdulRahman said the new season which begins on November 30th will be an improvement on last season.

Certificates were presented to coaches, Media Managers and facilitators at the three-day Workshop.

…As pre- season seminar begins in Ikenne

Chairman of Nigeria National League ( NNL), Mr. George Aluo has expressed happiness with the progress made by the league in the past one year which he attributed to openess, non interference with league matches or allowing games go to the highest bidder just as he urged teams that will take part in the 2024/2025 season to do better than last year’s teams.
He stated this in his opening speech at this year’s pre- season seminar organised for coaches and media officers of the most important league in the country.

According to him, the decision of the league board to be firm and unbiased in their decision nor bend rules of the game contributed greatly to a youthful team like Beyond Limits winning the league while El Kanemi of Maiduguri apart from winning the President Federation Cup is one of the only two teams that are presently unbeaten in the ongoing NPFL League.
Aluo further explained that the seminar became necessary considering the successes recorded in the maiden edition, hoping that what the participants will learn will rob off on the league.
” You know that in football there are four groups very dear to FIFA, CAF and NFF and those groups are the players and coaches , referees, media and the fans. We bring the coaches here every year to get them better equipped because when the coaches are technically sound, the fans will watch good football.

” The referees on their part are the ones with the yam and knife and it’s what they give you in the field of play that you’re going to take. But the referees have laws and we need to be acquainted with those laws which is very dynamic and that was why we brought one of the best brains in refereeing in the country to be part of this seminar.
” There is also no denying the fact that football is a media event and it is the media that hypes the game and make it attractive to the fans and for me as a media person I know that the league will not be attractive without the media and that was why we have brought the coaches and media officers under one roof to share ideas with knowledgeable resource persons on how to make the league better.
He further explained that his idea as Chairman of the league is to see an NNL that’s solid, competitive and entertaining and not just being described as the most important league on paper but in the real sense of it
The NNL boss described the second tier league as the bridge between the amateur league and the other leagues noting that if the bridge is not solid, the domestic league won’t be solid; saying that is why they want to lay a solid foundation for the country’s football.
” Before this board came on board, people where describing the NNL as a glorified amateur league and that it is a cash-and- carry league but to the Glory of God, we can attest to it that we have changed that narrative.

” In one year, there’s statistics to show that we have really done well When we had the Super 8 in Enugu, the President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau despite his tight schedule, was there to watch the finals between Nasarawa Utd and Beyond Limits which shows the importance he attaches to the league and for the first time, the league was won by a youthful team made up of U-14-17 players and that also shows how solid our league is supposed to be because football belongs to the youths.
” What this shows is that we left the game open and there was integrity in all that we did because if we didn’t leave the league open there was no way Beyond Limits would have won the league”, he stressed.
Aluo used the occasion to commend his media colleagues for the support they’ve given him which now sees NNL competing for media space with the NPFL.
He was also grateful to the proprietor of Remo Stars Football Club, Hon. Kunle Soname for his sponsorship of the seminar describing him as a true partner in progress and a man passionate about football.

In his own remarks, Hon. Kunle Soname expressed happiness with the seminar; saying that for Nigerian football to grow, coaches must be trained regularly.

Soname who said his passion for football is making him invest in the game stated that football is a profitable business if properly managed and charged club owners to think less about winning at all cost but concentrate more on the welfare of their players.

The much-talked about Pre-season seminar which heralds the November 30 kickoff date of the 2024-2025 Nigeria National League season will begin this Monday.

The 3-day enlightenment event is one of the critical programme introduced by the George Aluo-led board on improving the quality of the 2nd-tier division with the aim of re-tuning coaches and media officers of the clubs on expected conduct before, during and after the new season.

Laying standards on required conducts from the coaches and the clubs media managers which will impact positively on the development of the league are experienced personalities in football.

Former Super Eagles assistant coach Fatai Amoo as well as former FIFA-badged referee Chukwudi Chukwujekwu who is Head of the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Instructors, Referees and Assistant Referees with Portuguese coach Thiago Conde will be on hand to share knowledge with the coaches.

Highly experienced journalists Tony Ubani and former Adviser to former Sports Minister John Joshua-Akanji with Oluchi Tobechukwu are the resource persons for the clubs’ media men.

All participants are expected to be at the prestigious Remo Stars Football Club facility in Ikenne, Ogun State for the knowledge-sharing session which will end on Wednesday.

Credit: Tayo Ogunseye

Tayo Ogunseye

The Nigeria National League (NNL) Pre-season seminar has received a seal from it’s former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sajo Muhammed.

The capacity-building programme which initially involved the coaches of ‘The Most Important League’ last season has been expanded to include Media Managers of the clubs.

Experienced football eggheads like Portuguese coach Thiago Conde, former Super Eagles assistant coach Fatai Amoo and widely travelled former Media Officer of the Nigeria Olympics Committee Tony Ubani have been confirmed for the 3-day session.

“Capacity building has always been a priority when I was there.” Recalled the Adamawa State-born administrator. “We engaged in seminars, workshops for all stakeholders which included clubs media officers just for them to know the importance of having them as an important partner to achieve a hitch-free league. Referees were all involved in the workshops to keep them abreast with what happens in other soccer leagues. Good officiating with integrity is always the key. Involving media officers in the training therefore will not only expose the league to the outside world it will also expose the club players to other clubs in Nigeria and abroad. I fully support that. Kudos the current Administrators of the NNL.”

Muhammed, who retired as an Assistant Chief Security/Intelligence Officer, Department of State Security Services (SSS) highlighted the challenges in the second -tier league but he commended the present board led by George Aluo for bringing some of the situations into positive lights.

“NNL regarded to as “The most important league” is not an easy league to run both at the administrative level and on the field of play. Challenges in terms of sponsorships, finance and human behaviors are abound. However by and large the last season ended successfully and also the Super
8 tournament that produced the 4 teams that were promoted to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) was successful . Kudos to that Administrators that succeeded us.”

The Pre-season seminar is scheduled to hold at the Remo Stars Club facility in Ikenne, Ogun State from October 28-30 ahead of the league’s kickoff date in November.

As the countdown to the NNL Pre-season seminar begins, renowned retired FIFA badged referee, Chukwudi Chukwujekwu (C.C.) has joined the growing list of experienced resource persons that will handle the seminar.

The most important League in the country will hold a pre-season seminar for coaches and media officers at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, Ogun State from October 28th- 30th, 2024 in other to prepare them adequately for the new season.

Announcing the inclusion of Chukwujekwu who is the Head Technical instructors, referees and assistant referees of Nigeria Football Federation, Chairman of NNL, Mr. George Aluo said it was done in order to give the best to the participants.

“We decided to include renowned referee, Chukwudi Chukwujekwu as one of the resource persons because he is highly experienced and the participants will benefit immensely from his wide football knowledge.

“You’re aware that we’re organising this seminar to ensure that coaches and media officers are tutored on what is expected of them when the 2024/2025 season kicks off and to get it right like we did last year, we need to get very experienced resource persons to lecture the participants and that’s why we’re going for the best,” he stressed.

In his reaction, Chukwujekwu noted that he’s humbled to be considered worthy to be one of the resource persons, promising that he’ll handle the job perfectly.
Other renowned coaches and resource persons that will be handling the seminar are former Super Eagles Assistant coach Fatai Amoo, Alphonsus Dike, Thiago Conde, media Practitioners Tony  Ubani, John Joshua Akanji and Oluchi Tobex Tobechukwu among others.

With less than one week to the NNL pre-season seminar aimed at equipping second tier team coaches and media officers with good knowledge of how to handle issues related to the league, one of the resource persons, John Joshua Akanji has declared that the seminar will adequately equip the participants ahead of the beginning of the 2024/2025 season.

Akanji, a veteran journalist and former media aide to then Sports Minister, Sunday Dare will be among senior journalists that will tutor media officers at the seminar expected to kick off on Monday, October, 28 at Remo Stars Sports Complex, Ikenne, Ogun State.
According to him, the successes recorded in the league last season could be attributed to the seminar held at the same venue noting that all the national leagues need such seminars inorder to upscale the knowledge of the coaches and team media officers on what are expected of them as the championship progresses.

” I want to commend the NNL board under the Chairmanship of Mr. George Aluo for their initiative in introducing the seminar.
“The maiden edition was a very huge success which contributed to the seamless league they had last season and I believe that this year’s edition will even be more successful because of the calibre of resource persons that will handle the seminar.

He was particularly happy that the league board went beyond limiting the seminar to the coaches since he believes media officers are critical stakeholders because the reports they send out can have either positive or negative effect on the league.

General Manager of NNL side, Inter Lagos, Gabriel Adigwe has commended the board of the second tier League for it’s planned pre- season seminar for coaches and media officers before the commencement of the League.

Following the successes recorded in last season’s pre- season seminar, the board of NNL has decided to widen the seminar with the inclusion of club media officers.The pre -season Seminar will take place at the Remo Stars Stadium,  Ikenne from October 28th- 31st, 2024 with renowned coaches and resource persons like former Super Eagles Assistant coach Fatai Amoo, Alphonsus Dike, Thiago Conde,   media Practitioners Tony  Ubani, John Joshua Akanji and Oluchi Tobex Tobechukwu among others expected to tutor  coaches and media officers to upscale their knowledge in order to improve the standard of the League.

Speaking on the development, Adigwe believes that it will highly enrich the participants who are key stakeholders of the league even as he commended the board of the most important league in the country for the noble initiative.

” I’m really excited with the forthcoming seminar which I believe will go a long way in enriching the league.” You’re quite aware that prior to the beginning of last season, a similar seminar was organised and it contributed greatly to the successes recorded in the league and I have no doubt in my mind that the same will happen this season.”

The inclusion of media officers is equally commendable as they’ll learn new things on how to report accurately and also know the type of information they give out to their colleagues in order not to put the league in bad light”, he concluded.