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 THE PROBLEMS OF NIGERIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Emeka Ajanonwu [ajanonwu@cnenigeria.com]

Austin Okocha (PSG), George Finidi (Real Mallorca), Garba Lawal (Roda), Sunday Oliseh (Dortmund), Taribo West (Derby County). These are all names of what one will call consistent first team players of the Super eagles. One common feature of the names is that they all play abroad for their respective clubsides. So to a casual observer of the Nigerian national team the question that comes to mind is, "is there no clubsides in Nigeria? This paraphrased means is there no league in Nigeria? Well there is a league system in Nigeria. In the 70's and 80's the league gave so much hope of things to come- Two CAF cup winners cup triumphs, WAFU cup victories, and CAF cup champions cup finalists several times. The national team of the 70's and80's were mainly of players drawn from the league sides like Rangers, NNB, IICC, Insurance e,t,c. So the question is what has gone wrong with the Nigerian league system.

The Nigerian league is filled with inept coaches, most clubs in Nigeria lack quality coaches. Coaches in Nigeria still use the old pattern of play they do not go for refresher courses abroad or inbroad to update their knowledge of the game. On a typical day, a visit to the dressing room of a club during half time will take you aback because what your ear will hear from the coaches will surprise you. About 45% of the problems encountered by the clubs are as a result of bad coaches.. Most coaches in the league are not educated and cannot express themselves. Football is not education but at least 80% of coaching job is brainwork. This does not mean that all coaches in the league are bad there are some exceptions like Amodu Shuaibu (during is days as a club coach), Godwin Uwa (the current sensation), Christian Chukwu, Kafaru Alabi etc. These are some of the best coaches in the league. I f a coach is not sound technically it tells on the club and also on the league. Over the years Nigerian clubs have been able to reproduce the exploits of the 70's and 80's because their coaches have refused to grow as the game grows, the inputs of the yesteryears cannot give victory in the millennium.

The local league players themselves bear a part of the blame, they are not professional in their approach to the game. They go about their business of the game as if their lives do not depend on it. For you to be a good player, apart from your skills you must have an ambition. For instance "I want to play for the national team in two years time" the local players lack an ambition like this because if they do, they will put enough work in training to make sure they improve on their skills. That Eric Ejiofor is making the super eagles team right now is because of his hard work and ambition.

The hobbies of an average league player in Nigeria are going out with women, sleeping at nightclubs, smoking weeds etc. They do not behave like true professionals, there is no doubting their natural talents, that is why when they go abroad they are the best but natural talent can only take you to a particular level then after that hard work takes you to your dreams. Furthermore, the players do not stay at one club for at least two years, the moment you invite him to the national team he begins to dream of going abroad to make more money rather improving on his game first. This urge to play abroad as really caused the league in Nigeria so much problems. Rangers of Enugu started the 1998\99 season with one set of players and ended the league with another set, all together they lost 18 players to foreign clubs before the end of the season, these affected the club and the league.

Football management in Nigeria has being the real reason why the Nigerian league has not been able to stand on its feet like other leagues in Africa. The Nigerian Football Association the body charged with running football in Nigeria is so inefficiently managed that someone once suggested foreigners should be employed to manage the football house. The NFA has they are known has not being of help to the Nigerian league. First of all, the enumerations given to club sides in Nigeria are peanuts, this has led to the disbandment of vibrant clubsides like Abiola Babes, Leventis United, DIC bees etc. The money NFA gives to clubs as participation fees are not up to 5% of the expenditures of the clubs, the clubs have accused the NFA of withholding money meant for them. Secondly, the lack or non-enforcement laid down rules by the NFA as been responsible for the bad state of the league. It's surprising that more than seven since the inception of professional league in the country most of the clubs do not have insurance cover for their players, medical facilities, youth team, stadium etc. These are issues that should on the clubs by the FA, it is better to run a with two teams that as met the laid down rules than with twenty teams that cannot meet the rules. Thirdly, the NFA is not well equipped and this affected the league badly. Before the beginning of the league in countries were football is managed efficiently the league fixtures must be out say two weeks before the commencement of the league but in Nigeria the ill-equipped NFA releases league fixtures in batches. Most clubs in the learn of their next opponent on the pages of the newspapers, that apart the league results do get to the football house until two or three days after the matches have being played. The football house is badly staffed and not computerized that is why most decisions taken by the football house are lopsided.

It is only in Nigeria that out of the 14 teams playing in the premier league only about are owned privately while the remaining clubs are state owned clubsides. This trend of government involvement in football in Nigeria has really slowed down the league development, because the clubs are not managed professionally. They depend on the government to finance its activities and cannot really source for its own funds, this is the reason why the potentials of most clubs are left untapped. Forinstance, a team like Rangers with large fellowership has no reason looking up to government for funding because on its own it can raise enough. Apart from government involvement in the ownership of clubs, most of this clubs do not have what it takes to be called professional teams, they are poorly funded, and they do not a stadium of their own, no youth team, camp or club house, medical facilities, etc. Recently someone jokingly said that owning a club in Nigeria is comparable to slave trading because they simply trade on players and lack ambitions.

The recent decisions of the FA against some referees during the recent super league is an attestation to the what referees have done to the league, more need not be written about their dangerous effect on the league. Away teams are left at the mercy of God, clubs complain bitterly about some referees wanting to send them to the lower leagues. The fact that CAF do not really use our referees during important competitions is a pointer to their ineffectiveness, some say it is politic but it is not CAF cannot ignore good referees since it cannot boast of so many.

There are many problems but looking at the problems will not do any body any good, looking at the solutions is a much better prospect. For our league to be comparable to the best in the world, our coaches must be well tutored on the coaching profession. Refresher courses should be organized by the NFA and by the clubs themselves for the coaches, the coaches themselves should make good use of the FIFA\CAF coaching seminars abroad or at home. The players themselves must change their outlook towards the game and be more hard working and committed to their careers as professional footballers. The NFA on its part needs to be very vibrant and committed to the management of the league they should make the financially attractive to the clubs, football is big business and should be seen as so. T he FA should be re-organised and managed efficiently, tested football administrator should be elected (appointed) to manage the football house. The clubs themselves should do more to be financially buoyant in other to pay good wages to their players; the clubs should also enter in to long-term agreement with the players so as to retain an element of consistency in their team. Referees that have being found wanting should be punished while those that have proved to be good should be encouraged the FA. Only tested, reliable and truthful referees should be given the responsibility of officiating league matches, training courses should be organized for the referees to up date their knowledge of the game. Nigerians should also come out to watch the league matches this will encourage the players to give their best and at the same mean more money for the clubs. For the Nigerian league to be of the same standard with the best in the world all hands must be on deck, Rome was not built in a day.

Interested writers and contributors should send email to webmaster@cnenigeria.com.

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