Rivers United have been crowned champions of the Nigeria Professional Football League for the 2021/22 season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Stanley Eguma’s side were presented with the trophy on Sunday, having confirmed themselves as league winners since June.
Despite losing their match-day 35 fixture in Lafia, losing 2-1 to Nasarawa United last month, the Port Harcourt-based club retained a 10-point gap at the top of the table after second-place Plateau United suffered a 2-1 defeat at Akwa United the same day. And with just three games left before the end of the season, they were assured of their first-ever league title.
With the NPFL season brought to an end on Sunday, the newly crowned champions ended the campaign on a high with a 1-0 win over Gombe United in Port Harcourt to finish the season with 77 points from 38 games.
With the victory, Eguma’s men are guaranteed an automatic place in next season’s CAF Champions League along with Plateau United, who finished second on the log.
Meanwhile, newcomers Remo Stars will compete in the CAF Confederation Cup next season, after finishing third on the log with 62 points on their return to the elite league.
The just-concluded season also saw MFM, Kano Pillars and Heartland all drop to the NNL, the country’s second-tier league.
Lagos-based MFM finished bottom of the log with just 36 points, while Pillars, who were dealt a heavy blow on Saturday after the Nigerian Football Federation turned down the club’s appeal against the three points deduction sanctioned by its Disciplinary Committee, finished 19th with 45 points, with the five-time champions Heartland completing the bottom three with 47 points.
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