Manager Tunde Adeshina, Chairman of the Ikeja Football Coaches Council, has expressed his support for the newly proposed Super 4 play-off format in the Nigeria National League, describing it as a more practical and efficient approach to determining the league’s overall champion.
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Speaking on the recent change from the traditional Super 8 format to Super 4, Adeshina stated that the play-off stage should focus mainly on identifying the best team among the conference winners rather than prolonging the competition unnecessarily.
According to him, once the four teams from the different NNL conferences have secured qualification to the Nigeria Premier Football League, organizing a Super 8 tournament becomes less meaningful since promotion has already been decided.
“The play-off is important to determine the overall best team from the four conference groups after the four teams have already qualified from the NNL into the NPFL,” Adeshina explained.
He argued that the previous Super 8 structure no longer holds significant value in the current system and instead places unnecessary financial and logistical burdens on participating clubs.
“The Super 8 doesn’t have value again but is rather a waste of time and resources since the teams involved are no longer fighting for promotion into the NPFL,” he added.
Adeshina further emphasized that league competitions are typically marathon campaigns, where consistency across the season should determine which clubs finish at the top of their respective conferences.
In his view, the Super 4 format will streamline the end-of-season process while still providing a competitive platform to crown the overall NNL champion.
He concluded by noting that while teams must put in their best efforts throughout the season, the final outcome of the league campaign ultimately validates the journey taken to reach the top.
