Nigerian football season called off due to Covid-19 pandemic

The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season has been called off, after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) decided to put an end to all soccer-related activities for 2019/20. The NPFL, the top flight of the Nigerian league game, was suspended more than three months ago in compliance with government measures taken following the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

Nigerian football's governing body said the decision wasn't made before holding thorough discussions with involved parties and stakeholders, with every little detail taken into consideration such as "the status of the leagues before the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic-induced disruptions, the health, safety and movement restrictive measures in the country, the potential protocols for football resumption, the costs, the financial status of the leagues and clubs, CAF calendar and resolutions of the various leagues as conveyed to the NFF”.

Top three teams reserved their place in African competitions

Following the talks, the decision made was to terminate the current season and submit the points gained by the top three teams of the league after week 25 (the last matchday played before the competition was suspended) to CAF so that they can be Nigeria's representatives in African club competitions in the 2020/2021 season (two spots for the CAF Champions League and one for the CAF Confederation Cup).

No promotion or relegation

The NFF also announced that there won't be promotion or relegation in the terminated season, a decision that also applies to the Nigeria National League, the country's second division.

The 2020/2021 Nigerian football season is expected to start in September or October, but this hinges on the approval of health authorities and the government's upcoming decisions.

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