As football around the world shut down and grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, the Chief Operating Officer of the Nationwide League One, NLO, Shola Ogunnowo has disclosed that the 2020 league season will go ahead as soon as an end come for COVID-19.
Ogunnowo told Blueprint Sport on phone that “ though the coronavirus has eaten deep into our programme for the season, we’re quite optimistic that the pandemic will soon be defeated maybe in the next one or two months and football will return to it’s normal position.
“If the pandemic end around June, NLO will run its normal season but incase it exceeded that time we will critically look at the options available to us before deciding on any particular option but no matter what NLO will not cancel the 2020 League season for any reason.
“Our season is just for four or five months ,starting mostly in July to October. But if the pandemic extend beyond June it therefore mean that we will change our plan and re-jig the 2020 league season by playing another format.
“In NLO we don’t have anything like abridged league. We might change the way we play Division One format to how we played Division 2 which doesn’t last long probably for 2 weeks. These are options we are looking at. In conjunctions with the NLO chairman, we are observing and monitoring the situation to see the best options that will be suited for us and in the best interest of the game and clubs” he said
The alumnus of Ogun State University insisted that “It is still possible for NLO to stream over 200 matches despite COVID-19. We in NLO play the highest number of matches. Though our partners are suppose to be on the ground running now but when this is over they will still stream over 200 matches for us”
No matter the format we play, we will turned our season into a carnival like season where teams gathered together in a venue and do a sort of playoff to determine the league champions and those that will get promotion and relegation.
Ogunnowo who is turning to be an administrator per excellence in the country and recently came back from England with 8 NLO clubs for training and exposure was full of confidence that football will change for better after COVID-19 has been completely contained in the country.
“This is not the first time such an pandemic will happen and football came back to its normal self .It Is just a matter of time, football will come back bigger and stronger” he enthused
