The 2017 Nigeria Professional Football League was the 46th season of the top Nigerian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1972, and the 27th since the rebranding of the league as the "Professional League". Plateau United won the league on the Saturday, 9 September 2017 with a 2-0 victory over Enugu Rangers.[2]
| Champions | Plateau United[1] |
|---|---|
| Relegated | Shooting Stars SC Remo Stars F.C. Gombe United F.C. ABS |
| Champions League | Plateau United MFM F.C. |
| Confederation Cup | Enyimba |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 765 (2.01 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Anthony Okpotu (19) |
| Biggest home win | Ifeanyi Uba 4-0 MFM (18 January 2017) MFM 4-0 Lobi Stars (22 January 2017) Nasarawa United 4-0 MFM (2 April 2017) |
| Biggest away win | Shooting Stars 0-3 Ifeanyi Ubah 27 May 2017) |
| Highest scoring | Akwa United 4-2 Shooting Stars (2 April 2017) Gombe United 3-3 Enugu Rangers (10 May 2017) |
| Longest winning run | El Kanemi Warriors (4) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Plateau United (7) |
| Longest winless run | Remo Stars (14) |
| Longest losing run | Kano Pillars (4) |
← 2016 2018 →
All statistics correct as of 20 September 2017. | |
Enugu Rangers won the previous edition, their seventh league title and first since 1984.
Plateau United's win of this edition is their first ever title, which came in their second season after being promoted to the top flight. It was intended to be rational, meaning in reserve purposes.
Clubs edit
A total of 20 teams contested the league, these included 16 teams from the previous season and four teams promoted from the Nigeria National League. The season began on 14 January.
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plateau United (C) | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 49 | 25 | +24 | 66 | Qualification to the 2018 CAF Champions League |
| 2 | MFM | 38 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 42 | 41 | +1 | 62 | |
| 3 | Enyimba | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 43 | 28 | +15 | 61 | Qualification to the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup |
| 4 | Akwa United | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 46 | 30 | +16 | 60 | |
| 5 | Nasarawa United | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 35 | 30 | +5 | 56 | |
| 6 | El Kanemi Warriors | 38 | 18 | 2 | 18 | 39 | 43 | −4 | 56 | |
| 7 | Lobi Stars | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 54 | |
| 8 | Kano Pillars | 38 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 38 | 35 | +3 | 54 | |
| 9 | Ifeanyi Ubah | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 39 | 38 | +1 | 54 | |
| 10 | Sunshine Stars | 38 | 17 | 3 | 18 | 41 | 43 | −2 | 54 | |
| 11 | Niger Tornadoes | 38 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 54 | |
| 12 | Abia Warriors | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 53 | |
| 13 | Wikki Tourist | 38 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 37 | 41 | −4 | 53 | |
| 14 | Enugu Rangers | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 53 | |
| 15 | Rivers United | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 34 | 33 | +1 | 52 | |
| 16 | Katsina United | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 37 | 38 | −1 | 52 | |
| 17 | Shooting Stars | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 50 | Relegation to the Nigeria National League |
| 18 | ABS | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 37 | 50 | −13 | 49 | |
| 19 | Gombe United | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 32 | 49 | −17 | 43 | |
| 20 | Remo Stars | 38 | 7 | 8 | 23 | 27 | 49 | −22 | 29 |
Updated to match(es) played on 9 September 2017. Source: NPFL.ng
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Season statistics edit
Goals edit
Top scorers edit
- As of 10 May 2017
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stephen Odey
|
MFM | 14 |
| 2 | Abdullahi Ibrahim Alhassan
|
Akwa United | 10 |
| Samuel Mathias
|
El Kanemi Warriors | 10 | |
| 3 | Sunday Adetunji
|
Abia Warriors | 8 |
| Mfon Udoh
|
Enyimba | 8 | |
| 4 | Adamu Hassan
|
Nasarawa United | 7 |
| Victor Mboama
|
Remo Stars | 7 | |
| Anthony Okpotu
|
Lobi Stars | 7 | |
| 5 | Godwin Obaje
|
Ifeanyi Ubah | 6 |
| 6 | Prince Aggreh
|
Ifeanyi Ubah | 5 |
| Kingsley Eduwo
|
Lobi Stars | 5 | |
| Daniel Etor
|
Enugu Rangers | 5 | |
| Sunday Faleye
|
Shooting Stars | 5 | |
| Austin Oladapo
|
Gombe United | 5 | |
| Sikiru Olatunbosun
|
MFM | 5 |
Hat-tricks edit
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Odey | MFM | Lobi Stars | 4-0[3] | 22 January 2017 |
| Reuben Bala | Plateau United | ABS | 4-1[4] | 26 March 2017 |
| Mu'azzam | Akwa United | Shooting Stars | 4-2[5] | 2 April 2017 |
| Anthony Okpotu | Lobi Stars | Sunshine Stars | 3-1[6] | 19 April 2017 |
References edit
- ^ "Plateau United wins Nigerian Professional Football League".
- ^ "Plateau United wins Nigerian Professional Football League".
- ^ "Matchday3 round-up: Champions Rangers finally off the mark, as Odey puts on show in Lagos". Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "NPFL Match Day 15: Plateau United back on top, Enyimba defeat Rivers United - Daily Post Nigeria". Retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ "NPFL: Nasarawa United thump MFM, Enyimba edge Enugu Rangers - Goal.com". Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ "Okpotu's treble sink Sunshine Stars - SuperSport - Football". Retrieved 20 April 2017.