Shehu Dikko: We didn’t ask any club to pay N2.5m for COVID-19 tests per game

The League Management Company chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko has denied reports that clubs would have to pay any amount let alone the sum of N2.5m for COVID-19 test kit per game.

The Nigeria Professional Football League is said to resume for completion of the 2019-20 season according to the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, who disclosed this during an interview on Brila FM.

“There will be no compromise on certain things when it comes to the health code, there will be no compromise,” Dare said.

“I can tell you, there will be no audience participation; content will have to be beamed through radio, television and other means.

“Tests will be conducted on the players and the coaches as the case may be and I don’t see us having multiple venues. We might think of centres to have all the other games.

“I don’t know what they are going to bring forward, I’m just rolling out a few guidelines that I think must guide the return of the league.”

While reacting to the news of league resumption, Punch, gathered that testing a player would cost N50,000, while for example a team who are 40 in number including players and backroom staff would have to pay the sum of N2.5m per game before their team whould be allowed to play.

But Mallam Shehu Dikko the man at the helm of affairs of the League Management Company denied the report immediately.

NPFL clubs to pay N2.5m per game for COVID-19 testshttps://t.co/4UOnNPrfOs

— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) June 9, 2020

“This is a story in the imagination of the writer anyway as LMC or NFF or sport ministry never said so or discussed this with anybody or proposed for any club to pay for any testing when and if the need arises talk less of doing testing before every match,” Mr Dikko wrote.