According to information released by our colleagues from Kickoff Nigeria, the Nigeria Premier League club managers and the League Management Company (LMC) returned to the trenches on Tuesday in their battle for control of the League.

The clubs fired the first salvo when they announced the dissolution of the company, claiming its one-year mandate to run the League had expired.

But LMC chairman Nduka Irabor immediately issued a statement saying the body would continue with the job of restructuring the league system.

In a communique in Abuja, the clubs pointed to ‘the expiration of the tenure of the LMC in line with the terms of reference given to them by the NFF’ and called for ‘immediate organization of elections to usher in a substantive League board’.

In the interim, the LMC were directed to hand over to the secretariat.

But LMC chairman Nduka Irabor dismissed the decision in a statement issued a few hours later. “We did not get our mandate from the Club Owners and they cannot decide when our tenure will end,” Irabor said.

“The NFF gave us this assignment and they have not told us to stop. We are continuing with our plans on the clubs licensing and improving the fortunes of the League.

“We remain undeterred.”

The club managers’ position has already been undermined by two clubs, Kaduna United and Warri Wolves, dissociating themselves from the decision.