George Aluo, newly appointed Chairman, Nigeria National League (NNL), has pledged to reposition the league with focus on improved officiating, professionalism and qualified coaches for clubs.
Aluo said this at the inaugural news conference of the NNL board on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the new board was ready to hit the ground running and at the same time take the league to the next level in line with international best practices.
“As a board, we are already working on how to make the league more professional and take care of the indemnities of the referees.
“We all know that the greatest challenge facing the league is officiating, so we need to change that.
“The moment we get officiating right, security at match venues, coaching and professionalism right, then we are good to go,” he said.
The veteran sports journalist said that a framework would be put in place to ensure that only coaches with the mandatory minimum professional qualification of CAF ‘B’ certificate would be allowed to coach in the league.
Aluo also said that club registration and licensing would now be done online, as the league’s website and registration portal would be reconstructed to reposition the league.
The NNL boss said that the board had on Tuesday held its inaugural board meeting, with a communiqué issued on the way forward for the league.
“The Board approved the composition of a five-man Rules and Regulation/Club Licensing Committee that will review the entire NNL framework in order to enhance the operations of the League.
“The Board charged the Chief Executive Officer to embark on aggressive sponsorship drive to secure credible sponsors for the League,” the communiqué read in parts.
Aluo, subsequently appealed to the media to support the NNL and give it all the publicity it needed to become the most important league in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was graced by board members of the NNL and some football stakeholders.
Ibrahim Gusau, President, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), had on Monday in Abuja inaugurated the boards of NNL, Nation-Wide League one (NLO) and Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), with a charge to reposition the leagues.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria