The EuroMatch Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has announced the return of Friday night games, starting from today, October 9, 2026. This development is expected to excite fans of the league, who can now watch their favorite teams play in the cool evening. The inclusion of Friday night games in the league's calendar is a new development that promises to add more thrill to the 2026/27 season.
To accommodate the Friday night matches, the league has rescheduled its fixtures. The organisers have also made plans to broadcast more games live on television. The broadcast partners, Murphy Ben International, have recently taken delivery of state-of-the-art production equipment. This new equipment will enable the production of high-quality regional content and ease logistics worries.
According to Dr. Ayo Abdulrahman, the Chief Operating Officer of the league, the decision to provide broadcast partners access to more game days was necessary. This was not possible under the original fixtures framework. The rescheduling of matches will allow for more games to be broadcast live, giving fans greater access to the action.
Starting with Matchday 8, fans can enjoy three live games from Katsina on Friday night. Additional matches will be played on Saturday and Sunday from Kano, featuring Ranchers Bees and Barau FC against visiting opponents. This new schedule promises to bring more excitement to the league, with fans able to watch their teams play on different days of the week.
In a related development, the EuroMatch NPFL has fined Sporting Lagos Coach, Jeffery Buter, N500,000. The coach was also cautioned to refrain from making unsubstantiated public statements about the league and referees. This decision was made after an inquest held on Wednesday, during which the coach admitted to making errors in a press interview after the Lagos Derby with Ikorodu City.
The panel that conducted the inquest imposed a lenient sanction on the coach due to his admission of error and relatively young experience as a coach in the NPFL. The league used the opportunity to urge other coaches and club officers to refrain from making reckless statements that could undermine the perception of the EuroMatch NPFL.
Coaches and club officers have been advised to take advantage of official dispute resolution mechanisms to seek redress and lodge complaints. Coach Buter has been given seven working days to pay the fine or risk more stringent sanctions. The EuroMatch NPFL is taking steps to ensure that all stakeholders conduct themselves in a manner that promotes the league's integrity.
Key points
- The EuroMatch NPFL has reintroduced Friday night games to its calendar, starting from October 9, 2026.
- The league has rescheduled its fixtures to accommodate the Friday night matches and broadcast more games live on television.
- Coach Jeffery Buter of Sporting Lagos has been fined N500,000 and cautioned against making unsubstantiated public statements about the league and referees.
