How Gbenga Elegbeleye pulled NPFL back from the brink
How Gbenga Elegbeleye pulled NPFL back from the brink _Through governance reform, financial restructuring, and calendar stability, the league is regaining respect at home and laying the groundwork for a continental comeback_ *By Wale Oyekanmi* For years, the Nigeria Premier Football League was a case study in squandered potential. Once the breeding ground for African football giants, the NPFL became synonymous with erratic calendars, poor officiating, hooliganism, corruption, and a sponsorship drought that left clubs broke and fans disengaged. The league had lost its shine, its credibility, and its standing among Africa’s elite. That narrative is changing. At the center of the turnaround is Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye. Before 2022, the NPFL was in crisis. The League Management Company was dissolved in September 2022 after the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development declared it “illegal.” Sponsors had pulled out. TV coverage disappeared. Referees complained of unpaid indemnities...