THE Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) board issued a strong warning against home teams whose ball boys deliberately hold the balls to the home teams’ advantage.

In a memo issued by the Chief Operating Officer of the NPFL, Davidson Owumi, to clubs on Tuesday, October 10, the NPFL ordered that a minimum of 10 balls be made available at every match to enable the ball boys to replace balls kicked outside the playing area promptly.

Besides, the NPFL directed teams and their handlers to re-orientate their ball boys to end delaying tactics.

“It has come to our attention the unscrupulous and undisciplined behaviour of ball boys on match days. The continuous attitude of ball boys hiding match balls when the game is still on and mostly in favour of the home team shall no longer be tolerated.

“Note that at every point in time during an NPFL match, a minimum of not less than ten match balls should be available for use at all times”, part of the memo read.

The NPFL said delaying tactics by ball boys constituted misconduct under Rule C1.1 of the NPFL Framework and Rules, a breach of which could lead to heavy sanctions against erring clubs.

“We urge you to take immediate steps to rectify this situation by carrying out orientation sessions for the ball boys to ensure they understand and adhere to the rules.

“Failure to do so may result in penalties, including fines and points deductions as outlined in Rule C18 of the NPFL Framework and Rules”, the memo stated.

The ICIR reported that the match day one of the league recorded seven home wins and one draw. Also, match day two recorded nine home wins and two draws. 

Since the commencement of the 2023/2024 league, there have been 16 home wins and three draws.