The crisis that has hit the Nigeria National League took a different turn on Thursday after six of the teams for the Super 8 play-offs agreed to withdraw from the play-offs.
Eight teams – Remo Stars, Kada City Stars, Kogi United, Delta Force, Insurance, Shooting Stars, Gombe United and Real Stars – finished first and second in the four groups of the lower league at the end of the season.
Remo, Kogi, Delta, Kada, 3SC and Insurance have withdrawn from the play-offs, leaving Gombe and Real in the competition.
The NNL at its Annual General Assembly on November 24 had agreed to promote eight teams to the Nigeria Professional Football League for the 2019 season but the League Management Company and the Nigeria Football Federation rejected the proposal, insisting that only four teams would join the 20 teams in the Nigerian topflight.
The NFF last week instructed the NNL to organise the play-offs among the teams and present four winners for promotion. However, the chairman of the second-tier league Bukola Olopade resigned from his position, saying the NFF had failed in their previous promise to respect the decision of the NNL.
The NNL announced that the play-offs would begin on Friday in Aba, but at an emergency meeting on Wednesday at Lapour Hotel in Abuja, the six clubs agreed to pull out of the competition.
The resolution was signed by a representative of the six clubs – with Rasheed Balogun representing 3SC, General Secretary of Remo, Onikute Michael; Ekene Adams, CEO of Kada City; Abdul Sule, Chairman of Kogi; Chidi Emmanuel, CEO of Delta Force and Ihimeuden Charles, General Secretary of Insurance – at the end of the meeting.
Meanwhile, Gombe in a statement by their spokesman Halilu Teli on Thursday said they would participate in the play-offs.
The statement read, “We are ever ready to comply with whatever decision taken by the NNL board as long as they are in the interest and betterment of the league. We have worked assiduously to ensure that we’re promoted back to the Nigeria Professional Football League, hence our resolve to honour the Super 8.”
