The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) board has suspended the remainder of Bendel Insurance head coach Kennedy Boboye’s touchline ban, clearing him to return to the dugout ahead of the 2026/27 season, NigeriaSoccernet.com reports.
Boboye was originally handed a 17-match suspension in March after he was accused of assaulting match officials following Bendel Insurance’s Matchday 32 encounter against Plateau United last season.
Although the coach denied the allegations, he served six matches of the punishment during the closing stages of the 2025/26 campaign.
The NPFL has now reviewed the case following an appeal from Bendel Insurance and agreed to suspend the remaining portion of the sanction.
In a letter to the club, the league board cited Boboye’s conduct during the period of his suspension, as well as his previous contributions to Nigerian football, as factors behind the decision.
“Your good conduct in the intervening period of the sanction has been taken into consideration and counted as a positive for you,” the letter stated.
The board also acknowledged Boboye’s past service to the country as a player and member of the national team’s technical setup.
“The Board has therefore elected to suspend the rest of the remaining period of your sanction. However, the punishment will be served out should you be involved in similar conduct in the next one season.”
The NPFL further warned the experienced coach to maintain exemplary conduct, stressing his responsibility as a role model to players and younger members of the coaching staff.
Boboye is therefore free to take his place on the Benin Arsenal bench when Bendel Insurance begin their 2026/27 campaign against Warri Wolves in Benin on Sunday, August 30.
The coach joined Bendel Insurance in October 2025 and guided the club to fifth place in the 2025/26 NPFL season, finishing four points short of a continental qualification spot.