Winners, Losers & Stats Of The NPFL 2022 Campaign

The 2021-22 NPFL season came to a closure two weeks ago with Port Harcourt-based side Rivers United crowned as champions.

Following Akwa United’s triumph last season, the question on the lips of NPFL enthusiasts was which club would go on to win the next title ?, looking at how competitive and difficult to win the Nigeria topflight league.

The Pride of Rivers further gives credence to the statement that NPFL is unarguably one of the most difficult leagues on the continent by dethroning Akwa United at the end of the campaign.

With the 2021-22 campaign now done and dusted, Cheapgoal looks at the winners, losers, and some of the amazing stats of the just concluded season.

The NPFL Winner’s

• Rivers United – (Champions)

A historic feat it was for Rivers United as a club and its fans after emerging as the deserved champions of the Nigeria Professional Football League for the first time in the history of the club, since the Sharks and Dolphins merger in 2016.

Right from the start of the season to the last game, the Stanley Eguma-led side showed the fans they’re not in the league to joke around as they took each game by the scruff of the neck.

When Rivers United defeated both Enyimba and Katsina United away from home, it was evident that Eguma and his boys were definitely on for something big on the home front and right after those games they surged ahead brimming with a lot of confidence.

By match day 35, Rivers United had accumulated (16) home wins same as Plateau United another fantastic team in the just concluded season, plus the most away wins (5) and the least away losses (6) which shows how brilliant they were in the just concluded NPFL race, as they went on to dwarfed the record number of points achieved by Dolphins in the 2010-11 season for a title-winning side.

Shattering the record of Dolphins and winning the title was made possible for the Pride of Rivers by being consistent, and most importantly how prolific both Ishaq Kayode and Chijioke Akuneto who notched 19 goals to emerge as the ‘Eunisell Boot Award Winner’ for the 2021-22 season.

• Remo Stars – (Continental Ticket)

For a well-run club achieving such an indefatigable feat shouldn’t be a surprise, looking at what the club hierarchy has invested in the team on all fronts in terms of good players, competent coaching staff, and a conducive environment.

For the first time in the club’s history, they avoided the drop this season and will continue playing topflight football in the NPFL next season having worked their sucks up to remain in the league.

Remo Stars were relegated in the 2016-17 campaign before dropping again in the 2018-19 season after quick promotion the previous season, but this season they took every league aficionados by surprise by achieving the unachievable with the excellent appointment of the oracle ‘Gbenga Ogunbote’.

The Ikenne-based team finished 3rd on the NFPL log, the highest by any newly promoted team since Bayelsa United achieved such a feat in the 2012-13 season.

READ ALSO | 6 Of The Highest Paid Players In NPFL 2020/21

• The Promoted Quartet’s

While it has always been difficult for newly promoted teams to stay up in the previous campaign in the topflight, surprisingly this season all of the newly promoted teams against all odds achieved the unthinkable.

For the first time since 2013, all four promoted teams survived the drop in NPFL, with sides like Niger Tornadoes, Shooting Stars, Gombe United, and Remo Stars guaranteed of playing topflight football next season.

Having achieved the unthinkable this season, the upcoming campaign will definitely be another test of water for them but then they will bask in their respective achievements at least for this season.

The NPFL Losers

• Kano Pillars – (Relegated)

While it was all celebrations for teams like Rivers United the champions of the league, Remo Stars, and Plateau United for picking up continental tickets respectively, it was all gloom and doom for sides like Katsina United, and MFM FC, Heartland FC, and Kano Pillars.

Sai Masu Gida, Kano Pillars obviously deserved to go down to the Nigeria National League (NNL) having played a part in the violence the 2021-22 NPFL season experienced.

Following the deduction of their three-point by the League Management Company (LMC), due to the violence meted out to Katsina United and Dakkada it was evident that relegation is beckoning on the Kano giant.

• MFM FC

Rarely does a newly promoted team come into the topflight and ended up staying in the league at the end of the campaign.

However, surprisingly the Olukoya Boys did the unimaginable in their maiden NPFL appearance in 2016 with an improved achievement in 2017 to qualify for continental football.

This season, the Lagos-based side struggled for top form at the beginning of the campaign, having gone through four different managers from Shola Balogun, Olalekan Gabriel, Christian Ikechukwu to Festus Allen during their doomed NPFL season.

Watching MFM FC play in the NNL next season may not go well with their fans, but the reality is that the Olukoya Boys that won the hearts of many Nigerian football enthusiasts in the past isn’t the same as the current team who finished 20th in the NPFL.

• Enyimba FC

The Aba-based side has over the years been one of the Nigeria topflight teams you can bank on in terms of delivering positive results on the continent having won the CAF Champions League back to back.

In the just concluded NPFL campaign ‘The Elephant’ disappointed quite a lot of fans, despite the commendable appointment of former Super Eagles star Finidi George whom many thought would lead the team to win the title.

Though they didn’t relegate, surprisingly Enyimba failed to pick up any continental ticket after seventh-place finishes on the NPFL table, having started the season like a house on fire before things fell apart for the Aba giant conceding a total of 36 goals in 38 games.

READ ALSO | 10 NPFL Goalkeepers With Most Clean Sheets 2021

The NPFL Stats

According to ‘OptaNGR’, for the first in the Nigeria Professional Football League, it took 213 days to conclude the 2021-22 season the fastest since the LMC took charge of Nigeria’s topflight in 2013 with the league starting in December and ending unhindered in June.

• Rivers United – (77points)

The Pride of Rivers achieved the unthinkable by accumulating a total of 77 points in 23 wins, conceding the fewest number of goals (24), and also achieved the biggest margin of wins in 17 years.

• 29 NPFL Away Win

Looking at how it was a huge task for away teams to win away from home in the past, this season recorded a total of 29 away wins to dwarf the previous record of the league.

• 123 NPFL 1-0 Win

The most common scoreline in the just concluded campaign was the 1-0 result, it occurred 123 times in 380 NPFL games.

• 3,420+ NPFL Minutes

Just like we’re used to seeing at every concluded campaign in Europe’s top leagues in terms of stats, Kelechi Chimezie a defensive midfielder for Gombe United played all 38 games and all the minutes for his side in the just concluded NPFL season, in terms of time delay, injuries, and substitutions.

• NPFL Total Goals Scored – (779)

In terms of goals scored in the NPFL for this season, a total of 779 goals were scored in 380 games representing an average of 2.05 goals per game, while the final day of the campaign saw an average of (2) goals in 10 matches which were just a little fewer than the season average.

• NPFL Point Gap For Winning Team – (10)

The Pride of Rivers set a new record for the most points gap between the league champions and runners-up. Only Iwuanyanwu Nationale in 1989, Enyimba in 2003, 2005, and Akwa United in 2021 jointly held the previous record with a 5 points gap being the most achieved in the Nigeria topflight league.

FAQ

Which club has won the NPFL most?

Enyimba

The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is the highest level of the Nigerian football league system, for the Nigerian club-football championships.

Enyimba (Aba) 8 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2019

What is the Full meaning of NPFL?

NPFL means the Nigeria Professional Football League; a Nigeria Football Association competition organized and administered under license by LMC.

Who is Nigeria Professional league winner in 2020 -2021?

Akwa United

On 1 August 2021, Akwa United won their first NPFL title after a convincing 5–2 home win over MFM with a game left.

2020–21 Nigeria Professional Football League.

Who is the best player in the Nigeria league?

Top market values Nigeria Professional Football League

# Player             Pos                 Age                      Worth

1 Peter Eneji -Attacking Midfield -23 – €250Th
2 Chisom Elvis Chikatara – Centre-Forward – 27  – €200Th
3 Sikiru Olatunbosun – Left Winger –  26 –  €200Th
4 Solomon Kwambe – Right-Back –  28 –  €175Th
5 Jean Afa – Goalkeeper – 29 –  €150Th
6 Emmanuel Tony Agbaji  – Centre-Back  – 29 – €150Th
7 Raphael Ayagwa –  Central Midfield  – 24 – €125Th
8 Ibrahim Abubakar – Right-Back –  22 – €125Th
9 John Noble –  Goalkeeper  – 29 –  €100Th
10 Abubakar Ibrahim Aliyu  – Centre-Forward –  27 –  €100Th

Which is the most successful club in Nigeria?

Enyimba F.C tops the list and is the most successful club in Nigeria. Enyimba means People’s Elephant in the Igbo language and was founded in 1976. Its home jersey is made up of majorly blue and sometimes a shade of white.

How do I join the NPFL?

Write An Application Letter. You have to write an application letter to the board where you will state your interest in joining and your aspiration for enrollment.

• Registration.
• International Passport
• Police Clearance Report
• Submit In NFF Glass House Abuja

When was NPFL established?

1972

Who won Nigeria Premier League 2018?

On 31 August 2018, the Nigeria Professional Football League announced the season was deemed concluded. No champions were awarded and the bottom four teams were not relegated.

Who won NPFL 2021/22?

The 2021/22 Nigeria Professional Football League ended Sunday with Rivers United crowned as champions. Rivers capped their sterling all-round season long performance with a 1-0 victory over Gombe United to finish with 77 points and a plus 34 goal aggregate.

How much is Nigeria league worth?

League level: First Tier – Nigeria
Number of teams: 20 teams
Players: 917
Foreigners: 43 Players 4.7%
ø-Market value: €3Th.

Which club has the most fans in Africa?

Egyptian giants and Africa’s Club of the Century Al-Ahly retained the number spot in Africa with about 33 million followers on all platforms, ahead of rival club Zamalek (13 million), Moroccan powerhouse Raja Club (7 million), while South African giants Kaizer Chiefs (6 million) and Orlando Pirates (4 million) complete the list.

Which Nigeria premier league club is the oldest?

Enugu Rangers

Enugu Rangers is the oldest club. It was founded in 1970. Their home ground is Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.

Which is the best football academy in Nigeria?

• Midas Football Academy.Lagos Tigers FC.
• Kwara State Football Academy.
• Pepsi Football Academy (PFA)
• The International (Sports) Academy (TIA)
• Barcelona Football Academy (FCBEscola)
• Papilo Football Academy.

Who is the owner of MFM FC?

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries is a Pentecostal denomination founded in Yaba, Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria in 1989, now with churches in several countries. It was founded by Daniel Kolawole Olukoya.

How many football clubs are in Lagos?

Over 200 + football clubs

How do I start a football club in Nigeria?

You can register it through State Football Association. All your need to do is to obtain the registration form and pay the fees. You can make a one-time payment or as yearly dues as academies do not yet pay institutional tax in Nigeria.

How much is Pepsi Academy school fees?

As of the time of writing, the total Pepsi academy school fees package is ₦6,000 (Six thousand naira only).

Who is the highest paid player in Nigeria Premier League?

• Theophilus Afelokhai is currently the highest-earning player in the Nigerian Premier League in 2022
• Godwin Obaje is the second highest-earning player in the NFPL, where he earns $2400
• Gambo Mohammed comes in third in terms of monthly salary in the NFPL.