‘We’ve spent much on preparedness’ — Plateau United lament NPFL postponement

Plateau United have tackled the Interim Management Committee (IMC) for its last-minute postponement of the start of the new Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) season.

The NPFL board recently postponed the kick-off of the 2023/2024 season earlier scheduled for September 9.

Andrew Ekejiuba, media officer of GTI/NFF, said the league’s kick-off was postponed to allow its members to focus on the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to be held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

No new date has been set — at the time of this report.

Plateau United were billed to play Shooting Stars in the opening match of the season in Ibadan.

Speaking with TheCable, Yaksat Maklek, the director of media operations for the Jos-based club, said they found out about the postponement while at the IMC office in Abuja for documentation.

He said the club has spent “substantially on camping and other arrangements for optimal preparations”.

Maklek also lamented the “waste of resources” the club has incurred due to the postponement.

“Plateau United has substantially lost in terms of materials and mentality put into preparing for the match and the new season,” he said.

“We were at the IMC office in Abuja for documentation when we found out. So a lot of things have been wasted. The club has spent substantially on camping and other arrangements for optimal preparations.

“Psychologically, so much focus has been built towards the match [on Saturday], and the team has also lost much in terms of preparedness, with the players disappointed and negatively affected.”

Plateau United finished fifth in Group A of the abridged 2022/23 NPFL season — missing out of the Super Six by nine points.