NPFL Orders Shooting Stars to Relocate Home Matches Over Poor Pitch Conditions

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has ordered Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) to relocate their home matches from the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan after declaring the pitch unfit for league fixtures.

The directive was contained in an official letter dated January 30, 2026, and signed by NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi. According to the league, the current condition of the playing surface falls short of the standards required to host NPFL matches, particularly in light of the league’s new broadcast and television rights agreement.

The NPFL stressed that all venues must meet minimum pitch quality and broadcast requirements, a benchmark the Lekan Salami Stadium no longer satisfies.

Consequently, Shooting Stars have been instructed to relocate their remaining home fixtures for the season to either the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta or the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos.

The league body has given the Ibadan-based club until Monday, February 2, 2026, to notify the NPFL Secretariat of their chosen venue formally.