2019 Nigeria Professional Football League
Football league season
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The 2019 Nigeria Professional Football League was the 29th season of the Nigeria Professional Football League, the top-tier football league in Nigeria, since the rebranding of the league as the "Professional League", and the 48th season of top-division football in Nigeria since its establishment in 1972. The season started on 13 January 2019.[3]
| Season | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Enyimba |
| Promoted | Remo Stars Bendel Insurance Yobe Desert Stars |
| Relegated | None |
| Champions League | Enyimba Kano Pillars |
| Confederation Cup | Enugu Rangers Niger Tornadoes |
| Top goalscorer | Mfon Udoh & Sunusi Ibrahim (10 goals)[2] |
← 2018 2019–20 → | |
Teams
The league consisted of 24 teams. Four were promoted from the Nigeria National League. Twenty teams remain from the previous season which was not completed. They are divided into two groups of 12 teams. The draw was held on 20 November 2018.[4] [5]
|
|
Blue= Group A. Red= Group B
First stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers International (Q) | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 40 | Qualification for Championship playoff |
| 2 | Lobi Stars (Q) | 22 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 35 | |
| 3 | Enyimba (Q) | 22 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 13 | +9 | 33 | |
| 4 | MFM | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 22 | 20 | +2 | 32 | |
| 5 | Rivers United | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 31 | |
| 6 | Katsina United | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 24 | 25 | −1 | 30 | |
| 7 | Wikki Tourists | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 22 | 24 | −2 | 30 | |
| 8 | Sunshine Stars | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 22 | +1 | 29 | |
| 9 | Bendel Insurance (R) | 22 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 28 | Relegation |
| 10 | Kwara United (R) | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 20 | −5 | 27 | |
| 11 | Niger Tornadoes (Q, R) | 22 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 21 | −7 | 21 | Qualification for Confederation Cup and relegation[a] |
| 12 | Remo Stars (R) | 22 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 24 | −7 | 20 | Relegation |
- Niger Tornadoes are Nigeria Federation Cup runners-up (Kano Pillars are cup winners).
Notes:
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akwa United (Q) | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 38 | Qualification for Championship playoff |
| 2 | Kano Pillars (Q) | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 37 | |
| 3 | Ifeanyi Ubah (Q) | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 36 | |
| 4 | Nasarawa United | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 28 | +2 | 33 | |
| 5 | Abia Warriors | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 25 | 20 | +5 | 31 | |
| 6 | Heartland | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 25 | 22 | +3 | 31 | |
| 7 | Delta Force[a] | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 26 | −7 | 31 | |
| 8 | Plateau United | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 30 | |
| 9 | Gombe United (R) | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 30 | Relegation |
| 10 | El-Kanemi Warriors (R) | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 21 | 25 | −4 | 30 | |
| 11 | Go Round (R) | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 23 | −7 | 27 | |
| 12 | Yobe Desert Stars (R) | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 24 | −13 | 15 |
- Kada City played the first 11 matches of the season, and then sold their league spot to Delta Force, which took over their record and remaining fixtures.[7]
Championship playoff
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Enyimba (C) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 12 | Qualification for Champions League |
| 2 | B | Kano Pillars (Q) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 11 | |
| 3 | A | Rangers International (Q) | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 8 | Qualification for Confederation Cup |
| 4 | B | Akwa United | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 6 | |
| 5 | A | Lobi Stars | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4 | |
| 6 | B | Ifeanyi Ubah | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 0 |
Attendances
The clubs in the championship phase by average home league attendance:
| No. | Club | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kano Pillars | 11,463 |
| 2 | Rangers International | 9,712 |
| 3 | Enyimba | 3,687 |
| 4 | Ifeanyi Ubah | 1,834 |
| 5 | Akwa United | 472 |
| 6 | Lobi Stars | 351 |