NPFL: Akwa United confident ahead of league opener against Bendel Insurance

In 2023 Nigeria Professional Football League kicks off on Saturday, January 8, as said by the Interim Management Committee (IMC), and the only game for the week is the south-south derby between Akwa United and NPFL returnees Bendel Insurance.

Sunday’s match will attract football officials, such as NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau and IMC Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, at the Nest of Champions in Uyo.

Akwa United coach, Ayodeji Ayeni, told PREMIUM TIMES his team is ready for Sunday’s derby test. Ayeni, a former Bendel Insurance player, revealed as much in a telephone interview on Friday.

He spoke about the team’s chances in the match and the recruitment process the club has been going through since the departure of several key players during the league.

While Coach Senin Odigie, gaffer for Bendel Insurance, is optimistic that the team will justify their return to the top flight after 11 years.

Coach Ayeni said that all the clubs in the country are facing difficulties because of the restart date. He said that Akwa United has been ready for more than four months, from low to middle, from middle to high, etc., in terms of training graduates.

“We are ready mentally and psychologically because we know that the league has started and one good thing is that we are starting the league. Because we are in the category of teams that will start the league, I think it is a good honor, and it is not a pressure for us, but a normal game like every other league match. I can’t say it’s stakeholders who put unnecessary pressure or a lot of expectations on the game. But we will take the game like any other game.

Ayeni, a former Bendel Insurance player, said the fact that the match was a derby did not affect the team’s preparation.

“My people – my tactics, whatever tactics the team adopts; the most important thing is the importance of the game, the readiness of the team, determination and diligence. Bendel Insurance is not a new team. It is an old man in the history of Nigerian football. They have a record, they really good. Forget that he only came to the NPFL after being gone for a while. Pedigree, you can’t underestimate and we don’t take anything for granted.

The last time these neighbors met was on April 12, 2008, when Bendel Insurance beat Akwa United 3-2 in Benin. But the narrow victory was not enough to prevent relegation as they finished 20th on the log with 39 points.

Odigie, ahead of Sunday’s cracker, said that Asuransi will constantly measure their performance against the 2021 league champions.

“The team has just returned to the NPFL, so it will be an unfamiliar terrain, but football being what it is, the team is ready for the challenges it will face. The NPFL is a different ball game than the NNL. The team has tried to improve its performance and preparation.

“And we expect a very difficult game. As I said, we will take one game at a time when it comes. We will try to play to justify our return to the NPFL. So, we plan to do better in the department. And the hope that we do well to pick something from the game. That’s the spirit.”

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Odigie continued that his team was under no pressure, as the abbreviated format of the league made for more difficult tasks.

“So Yes, as you say, it may be an unusual league, but there is nothing we can do. The pressure we have in every game is the pressure we want. For the league, I don’t see it as ideal, but we have no choice but to face it , do our best, and make sure we justify our presence.

On the grant of 10 million take-off and live television broadcast, Ayeni said, “Any league in the world that is not streaming on TV is not a serious league.

“We all know that Nigeria has suffered many setbacks because there is no TV coverage to sell the market to the world. If Zambia, Zimbabwe, and even Ethiopia can stream their matches on live TV and the so-called giants of Africa (Excuse me for using that language) we have been in this thing for almost six to seven years ago, we can not watch our league on TV. The case is very serious and alarming.

“But now, if they can go back to the drawing board, the league body, and actually we are behind in the development aspect of the league, it will help the players. Because if our league is on TV, most of our players don’t need to try.

“Most of our players don’t need to go to all these backdoor leagues because outsiders will watch the league and any club manager, and if they see a player they like, they’ll pick from there.

“This will help the league and the players and the NFF itself because most of our players will step up and do it and will be known everywhere. So I think this is a good and welcome development and I really commend the NFF and the IMC for bringing it to reality.

“And the money given to the clubs, I think will reduce the pressure. The take-off grant will go a long way before many of the clubs get funds for the various owners,” added Ayeni.

Coach Odigie agreed that getting the league back on television was the best thing the players and coaches could have done.

“As a coach in Nigeria, I and other coaches want the best. TV rights are a good thing, they help bring quality, attention and awareness to the league. There are also financial benefits that come with it, so every team is happy to play wherever they are.

“This is a very good development. We hope that our league will be branded in the right way – a league that can be sold in the market. This is a good thing, and I expect it to be a live game.

The PFL 2023 season is an abbreviated version that has two groups and will culminate in the Super Six tournament in May to crown the champion and award a continental slot.