Nothing Wrong with a Club Purchasing Slot to Remain in the Top League, says Aluo
Chairman of the Nigerian National League (NNL) board, Mr. George Aluo, has stated that it is not a bad idea for relegated teams to buy slots in order to remain in the NPFL, provided that the buyer can afford the price and the team that owns the promotion slot is willing to sell, stressing this practice contributes to the excitement of the league.
The NNL chief, stated this yesterday while answering questions on a radio sports show hosted by Babatunde Saheed, also known as “Mr. Sport,” which was broadcast on Success 105.3 FM in Ibadan
According to him, there was nothing wrong with the idea and that it was not out of keeping with football league customs, provided that all established guidelines and requirements were fulfilled.
Aluo noted that a team that purchases a slot from a recently promoted club must stay in the same conference, adding that a team from the Northern part of the nation, which is considered to be the Northern Conference, cannot purchase a slot from the Southern Conference unless it is prepared to relocate.
The question according to Mr. Sport seems to be drawn from two government-owned clubs, Lobi Stars of Markurdi and Heartland of Owerri, recently relegated from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), that are reportedly doing everything possible to secure an immediate return to the top flight by attempting to purchase promotion slots from teams that qualify via the Nigeria National League (NNL) Super 8 tournament playoffs.
Heartland of Owerri, for example, was previously relegated from the top flight in the 2023-2024 NPFL season, but they were controversially reinstated into the NPFL for the 2024-2025 season after the league body disqualified Beyond Limits Football Academy’s promotion due to rules concerning dual ownership.
Beyond Limits was deemed to have an affiliation with Remo Stars FC, which is already in the NPFL, violating the NPFL operation rules and regulations
