Marvellous Olalekan
The Nnamdi Azikiwe football association held a press conference on Thursday, April 18th, at the Zik Hall junior common room ahead of the opening ceremony for the Zik Hall league.
The meeting, which began at 4:03 p.m was graced by Ayobami Ojeniyi, Minister of Sports, and Olowu Daniel, Chairman of the Football Association.Other notable attendees included pressmen from various press organizations, coaches, captains, and club owners such as Oluwole Ayomide Joy (Sanjay), who is the owner of Galacticos Football Club, Phantom FC with a female owner known as Victoria and Davis as the coach, Oluwadamilare Fabiyi, the hall chairperson of Zik Hall and the head coach of Young Boys Football Club, and other notable owners.
According to Ayobami Ojeniyi, the sports minister, the Zik Hall League was founded out of a desire to create something worthy of emulation by others and also because people are interested in anything that has dividends attached to it. He stated that the league will last six months, from July 20th to December 22nd, and will feature ten teams and 90 matches. Awards will be presented to the best young player, goalkeeper, top scorer, most assists, and manager of the season. The winning team will receive sixteen medals, whereas a trophy winner (player) must make at least four appearances to be eligible for a medal.
According to The FA's chairman, Olowu Daniel, "A rule book governing the league's operation and conduct will be released by 12 p.m. tomorrow." He also stated that each registered team paid a sum of ten thousand naira, that the prerequisite is a minimum of six zikites and a maximum of six non-zikites, that each match game must have at least two zikites on the pitch, and that each game will last 30 minutes, with 15 minutes each for the first and second halves, and that referee Coach Iyke, along with his assistant, has been appointed to oversee officiating during the competition.
He also stated that the referee's judgment for each game is final and that there will be no use of video assistant referees. He subsequently stated that a disciplinary committee has been established to prevent misdemeanor by both coaches and players. He also emphasized that club owners' intrusion into the pitch, as well as violence and misconduct, would not be permitted. He also encouraged club owners to offer media coverage and information about their teams, as well as promote their players and teams' growth.
According to the sports minister, "for every gross misconduct, you will be fined, and gross misconduct is inexhaustible." He also added that the fact that a rule isn't written down doesn't mean actions won't be taken for any misconduct outside of the of the rule book.
The opening game is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 20th as Phantom FC is set to face Young Boys. The league will also feature teams like Blaze FC, Paulo Santini FC, the Invincibles, Vanguard FC, Emergence FC, and many others.
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