The 2016/17 Nigeria Professional Football League season has been extended by a week in a bid to accommodate other national club competitions and assignments.
Organizers of the Nigerian league, the League Management Company (LMC) informed www.aclsports.com that the move comes as a consequence of newly released dates for Nigeria’s oldest football cup competition the Federation Cup which will be sponsored by oil giants AITEO for the next five seasons.
The league had earlier been scheduled to end on Sunday, September 3 but the cup competition, starting months behind schedule has been given consideration by the league body since majority of teams in the top division will be part of it from the Round of 64 stage.
According to the new schedule, the league organizers have moved Match Day 35 games, billed for next Wednesday, August 16 to Sunday the 20th, a day after Nigeria’s Super Eagles B face Benin Republic in the return leg of their African Nations Championships qualifier in Kano.
Consequently, the final three Match Days will take place the next three weekends. August 27, September 3 and 9 for Match Days 36, 37 and 38 respectively. Match Day 34 games will go on as scheduled this weekend in different centres.
Plateau United are three points clear at the summit of the NPFL log and have a chance to extend their lead when they host second placed MFM in Jos on Sunday.
