Rivers United will explore options to get justice from both FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, following the release of the final standings of the 2019/20 Nigerian Professional Football League League season by the League Management Company, Our source reports.

The LMC last Friday published the final NPFL standings for the aborted 2019/20 season,which placed Plateau United as winners and Enyimba as runners-up on both PPG and WPPG, ahead of Rivers United.

This means that Rivers United will feature in the CAF Confederation Cup and not the CAF Champions League.

The LMC, according to their website, adopted the Weighted Points Per Game metrics and head-to-head for teams (Rivers United and Enyimba) tied on the same Points Per Game coefficient to determine the second-place team.

With that, Enyimba finished second with a superior WPPG of 68.49 while Rivers United placed third after amassing 68.23.

In a statement signed by the club’s General Manager Okey Kpalukwu and made available to Our source Rivers United stated that they might be compelled to explore all legitimate means to challenge the LMC’s decision.

“Our attention has been drawn to a purported Nigeria Professional Football League table being circulated around the media space wherein Plateau United, Enyimba and Rivers United were placed first, second and third respectively,” the statement read.

“For emphasis and to inform discerning members of the public, what is internationally known and even in the rule books of League Management Company of Nigeria is that points are the first basis of separating teams, followed by goal difference before head to head.

“The Points Per Game model adopted by the Nigeria Football Federation and LMC is a straight forward co-efficient of dividing the total number of points with the total number of matches played as when the league was suspended in order to guarantee fairness to a club that played less number of matches.”

“With the application of PPG, all teams are now measured equally erasing the scenario of whether or not any club played a higher number of matches than the other.

“It also follows therefore that in separating the tie by goal difference, is to divide the number of goals scored by the number of matches played to arrive at a coefficient.

“Based on the above, it is obvious that Rivers United is the second-placed team and no amount of false narratives will deceive those who should know.

“We have already made our position known to the NFF and LMC and, we expect that justice will be served without fear or favour,” they said.

“On a final note, we may be compelled to explore all legitimate means available, including formal petitions to FIFA, CAF, and CAS to ventilate our grievances and press for justice.”