Sports

NPFL Moves Up in Strongest League Rating

Published

3 years ago

January 26, 2024

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) increased the ranking of men’s football leagues in Africa by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).

IFFHS is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football founded in 1974 by Alfredo Poge in Leipzig.

It rates the competitive edge of leagues and for the current rating, the Italian Serie A is the strongest global League while Egypt tops in Africa and is rated 20 globally.

Nigeria, which was rated 77 globally in 2022 after the inception of the Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye-led Interim Management Committee (IMC) moved two steps up in 2023 to rate as Africa’s 7th best and four steps to 73 globally.

Reacting to the latest rating, Elegbeleye who is back in Nigeria from the on-going 34th AFCON in Cote D’Ivoire described it as “very encouraging and a call for us to continue improving at what we have been able to achieve in repositioning the League”.

In the latest ranking in Africa, the Morocco Botola League ranks next to Egypt and is trailed by Algeria, Tunisia, South Africa, and Tanzania. Behind Nigeria are Angola, Zambia, and Cote D’Ivoire, the only other West African league in the top 10.

The Top 5 Strongest Leagues in the world are Italy, the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Brazil’s Serie A, and the German Bundesliga.

Share on Facebook

Sports

VIP Spikers unveil Veronica Gyamfi following successful surgery after career-threatening injury

Published

4 hours ago

October 25, 2026

The Gleamer

VIP Spikers have unveiled Veronica Gyamfi as their player, pledging to support her welfare and recovery after an injury sustained during last season’s CGC Volleyball Premier League.

The unveiling took place on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, with Samuel Onikeku, Head of Sports, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), performing the ceremony.

Gyamfi sustained the injury while representing Wikki during last season’s CGC Volleyball Premier League.

In a swift response, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Dr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi (MFR), and the President of Vipers sponsored her surgery at Dala Orthopedic Hospital in Kano, where she spent two weeks receiving medical attention.

Her signing by Vipers and Partners VC, popularly known as VIP Spikers, is expected to provide her with continued care and support as she progresses through recovery and works towards returning to competitive volleyball.

Meanwhile, Gyamfi was presented a brand new ASICS canvas and a branded jersey of VIP Spikers as it is believed she would return to play after completing her rehabilitation.

The intervention reflects the importance of athlete welfare in Nigerian sports, particularly the need to ensure that players who sustain injuries while representing their teams receive appropriate medical attention and rehabilitation support.

The sponsorship of Gyamfi’s surgery by the Comptroller-General, followed by her signing by VIP Spikers, highlights the potential impact of collaboration between sports authorities, competition sponsors and clubs in safeguarding athletes’ careers.

After the surgery Gyamfi has been undergoing physiotherapy sessions at the 44 Military Reference hospital in Kaduna as the Sporting Club is supporting her education at Kaduna State Polytechnic.

Gyamfi’s story offers an encouraging example of support for an athlete facing a difficult period in her career.

Her unveiling reinforces the message that volleyball development goes beyond competitions and trophies to include protecting players’ welfare and helping them return to the sport they love.

Share on Facebook