Nigeria football league suspended indefinitely due to coronavirus

The League Management Company (LMC) has suspended the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) until further notice due to concerns about the coronavirus.

The LMC, which is the organiser of the NPFL, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday evening.

“Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) has been suspended till further notice in line with global health preventive protocol against the Corona Virus Disease (COVID 19),” the statement read.

“In suspending remaining league matches, the League Management Company (LMC) said it would review the decision after consulting the nation’s health authorities, namely, the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) as well as the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.

“Matchday 25 fixtures were concluded on Wednesday and the LMC said the decision was to conform with the guidelines for containment of the spread of the global pandemic.”

In the same manner, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced the cessation of all forms of football activities in the country for the next four weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

According to the country’s football governing, the shutdown will affect all on-field activities in the various national teams, the NPFL, the other leagues, youth football programmes and even street football.

The COVID-19 crisis has prompted many countries to halt sports activities, while others have opted to play their games behind closed doors.

Nigeria recently confirmed five new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday.