My friend, it is a pity that I answered you, says Idoko

What are NPL plans for the 2009/10 season?

Normally for the fact that the Nigeria Premier League is rated the best in Africa, we want to maintain that standard and even surpass it. Like the issue of officiating, every referee has been dropped; they picked the best. The same thing for match commissioning; match commissioners have been reduced from a bloated number to 10.

What about bringing the crowd back to the stadiums?

The thing is that, it is not NPL’s duty per se, you understand. You have TV and radio but it is the duty of the Premier clubs. If you recall in those days, they use megaphones and town criers to go round, advertising crucial matches, say Rangers vs Shooting Stars, although we have to support them but the basic fact is that it is the home team that needs to do that. We have to complement them.

Players and club owners are worried that a large percentage of the money from Globacom and other sponsors is going to...( he cuts in) Which of the club owners, who? I am not aware of that.

Okay let me give an example. Like this year, NPL has a budget of N1.2 billion and only N200 million is going to the clubs.

You see I’m a club owner and when it comes to that issue, it’s being tackled at the board meeting. In fact, we are having a board meeting today; as I speak with you, I’m going there now so I think until after we come out of the board meeting before that issue... I don’t have anything to say.

What I’m saying is according to your budget this year, you have revenue of 1.2... (he cuts in) I am telling you my friend, I told you the issue is with the board and we have a meeting. I will not make any comment until after the meeting. They will make a press release, okay.

Okay so you agree that they are not paying the clubs well ?

You said what?

I said, do you agree that the NPL is not doing enough for the clubs? Like they are spending N50 million on building another house, they are spending N6 million on cars...

My friend, it is a pity that I answered you. Don’t go and misquote me, I said I don’t have any comment to make when it co mes to that issue because it is between the club owners and NPL; it is before the board. As soon as the board comes out with a statement, it will be made public. Thank you and good day.