IMC Chairman says NPFL winner will receive N100m

The IMC chairman assures that the draw for the abridged season will take place on Wednesday and will be shown live on television, 

Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), Gbenga Elegbeleye, revealed that the league’s winner would receive an N100 million cash prize.

Elegbeleye said that the winner of this league would get what was promised, in contrast to the Rivers state club, which has yet to collect the assured N50m.

The Port Harcourt-based team clinched the title in July after finishing the regular season with 77 points, shattering the previous mark of 73 points set by the league.

By a significant margin, the top team in the country, Rivers United, finished ten points ahead of Plateau United in the league after winning 23 and drawing eight of their 38 games.

Elegbeleye remarked, as reported by Punch, in a radio interview, “We promised to give support to the clubs through our sponsors, and we will do that. Remember we had a four-team pre-season tournament, each of the clubs were given N10m as participation and the winner got N100m. So, what we say, we do and the winner of this season again, will get N100m.” he said.

He said that the Rivers state team, who won the last NPFL competition, is yet to get its financial gift and that would not happen this time as they want to fulfil their end of the promise.

“Mind you, N50m was promised to Rivers United that won the league last season and it has not been paid, so we will not promise what we will not do and we are ready to give Nigerians the best gift,” Says the Chairman.

The NPFL’s 2022–2023 season will not begin on December 28 of current year as originally planned; instead, it will commence on January 8, 2023.