Lagos – The five clubs that failed to turn up in Aba for the Nigeria National League (NNL) Super 8 championship have forced the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to postpone the playoff till next year.
The NFF had on Monday ordered that the playoff kicks off on Thursday and ends on Sunday. The NFF also ordered the League Management Company (LMC) to ensure that the league kicks off before the end of the year.
With the failure of the NNL Super 8 playoff holding, it means that the four clubs expected to be promoted to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) will not be promoted.
The playoffs, which would have started on Thursday, had only three teams in attendance as at Wednesday. The clubs that reported for the playoffs are Gombe United, Delta Force and Real FC.
The five clubs, we learnt wrote the NFF seeking for a postponement of the playoff on the premise that they can’t raise a team for the tournament.
The clubs, according to Ademola Olajire, the NFF head of media, informed the Glass House that their players have all travelled for the yuletide and as a result cannot raise a team that would participate in the playoff.
He said that the NFF decided to postpone the playoff in order to give the clubs the benefit of the doubt.
Meanwhile, Halilu Teli, the media officer of Gombe United, who earlier spoke to our correspondent, admitted the postponement, noting that the Jewels of the Savannah, who were among the three clubs in Aba, had already made a detour to Gombe State.
“We are already on our way to Gombe because the Super 8 has been postponed indefinitely. We will wait for a communication from them (NFF) in order to know when it will take place,” he said.
