By Daily Sports on August 7, 2017

Nigeria’s domestic leagues are sorry sight. Many would readily and safely argue that the league was better off in the 19970’s and mid 1980’s. They argued based on the solid premise that the teams that were on the saddle then were stronger because of free flowing football they played for which fans enjoyed to the fullest, thronging the league venues week in week out in solidarity with their idol teams and players.

They, in unison insisted that we should not mind the defence by present day football administrators of growth in the game. According to them, even if they premised their argument on the number of our foreign legion, how is the game developing locally with the kind of league the League management Company (LMC) and other league boards are presiding over. They further tagged such lame duck excuses by NFF bigwigs as not only deceitful but also mere gimmicks always displayed to divert attention from their obvious short comings. The domestic league exists only in name and paper. Sadly, NPFL and others are without gritty and depth.

According to this school of thought, the nucleus of our national team then was drawn from the local club sides and they formed formidable squad. The indigenous league then grew tremendously and produced fantastic players who are still household names in our football circle today.  We were better for it than now with all the available technologies and well trained coaches all over. The kind of corruption that is sweeping across football administration from top to the bottom calls for months-long national weeping. It has come through to the Nigeria Professional Football League and its sister leagues across the country which calls to question, the seriousness by those vested with the responsibility to oversee, make the league profitable, investors friendly and development of all infrastructures that would ordinarily place our league in all cadre as serious.

But the reverse is the case today. What is glaring is the absence of passion and interest to grow the game to at least measuring up decisively with the thoughtful minded in the continent.

What we all thought that would have brought about Nigerian league reborn or reform was headed by Nduka Irabor. Sadly after much noise about discipline, profitability, credibility, responsibility, sponsorship driven and sundry, it fizzled out like every other thing Nigeria. What as usual that became of it was emptiness; all motion and no movement. You saw the kind of hype that greeted Nduka Irabor’s Nigeria League Reforms Committee and at the end, did anything good or tangible came out of such huge joke of the century?

To refresh your memory, Irabor was an editor at The Guardian in the 1980s. He became a more pronounced name in Journalism especially during that Buhari‘s infamous 1984 obnoxious Decree No. 4 where he stood long vendetta trial with Tunde Thompson over a report on ambassadorial posting ran by The Guardian. The rest is now dark history recorded against Muhammadu Buhari as a potent enemy number one of the Nigerian Press. No government after the colonialist jailed or clapped down on the then vibrant Nigerian media as Buhari did when he forcefully destroyed the democratically elected government of Shehu Shagari in his quest for power in his first stint to govern Nigeria as a military ruler. Buhari from the records is a pretender to democracy and those that aided his coming today are biting their fingers after kissing the dust.  Not now that the Nigerian Media is so self-centered, prejudiced, bastardised and bought-over. Ethnicity and religious bias are some of the self-inflicted injuries. I digress.

Irabor was also in the House of Representatives, so he is grounded to have carried out far reaching reforms that would have stood the test of time for the Nigeria’s elite league. It still beats my imagination that after Irabor and his team came a number of times as guests to the Lagos Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and doused fears and reassured that something exceptionally new would be on the table at the end of his assignment, shamefully and true to type, he rather disappointingly returned the verdict of habitual ritual, same old story. That ordinarily lofty idea again became the Nigerian thing, putting old wine in a new bottle. Its name changed from the Nigeria Football League (NFL) headed by the man who wanted to fight corruption in Nigeria football when he declared himself as a moving train that would crush anybody obstructing his route. No other person than the very flamboyant and resourceful pioneer chairman, High Chief Oyuki Obaseki. That normal harmless statement brought him to a head on collusion with the powers that be in NFF where he was of course the second Vice President. As one of the oldies on the sports beat, it was where I first witnessed corruption fight back. However, that was not from his executive board but from the administrative arm of the body. Let me anchor that story there and continue with the fruitless effort of league reforms headed by Nduka Irabor some years back. He and his team left us with present Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). Place side by side with NFL the Obaseki led board performed better in every material particular. For instance, cases of corrupt referees, chairmen of clubs selecting who handles their games, clubs owing players, coaches and officials, long months and years of salaries, bonuses, sign on fees etc. were drastically non-existent if not totally stamped out. Discipline without any form of compromise was at its optimum. The records and the big shoe High Chief Obaseki left are there.

To be honest with you, today’s LMC and NPFL have not done much in all spheres. The major things going for them are the media on their side. Its prime product, NPFL is in dare need of breathe. It has been choking all the way. If you say it is in shambles, it is just to put it mildly. LMC has selective attitude. It has barked more as toothless Bulldog. Indiscipline and corruption are like twins steering or walking freely all over their secretariat. Football clubs and ever corrupt referees are having a field day and the officials have turned blind eyes and deaf ears.

Irabor was shifted to the background.  Then came Shehu Dikko. I must say a gentleman. He contested for the Presidency of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) against the incumbent, Amaju Pinnick. Ironically, Dikko was instantly whisked away by the DSS and never returned until the election that brought in Amaju was over in Warri in 2014. There was a strong indication then that he would beat Amaju Pinnick in a free and fair election because he has more clout and experience at the national level than then rookie but politically grounded Amaju. Whatever achievement he may claim to have had down there would not have aided him effectively to beat then frontline candidate, Shehu Dikko without the under currents that epitomised that election from Delta State where he was executive chairman of its Sports Commission. Whatever achievement he may claim to have had down there would not have aided him effectively to beat then frontline candidate, Shehu Dikko without the under currents that epitomised that election.

This write up may seem to be incomplete if it fails to add here that it is Amaju’s vast political exposure that has kept him on that seat till today after fighting many wars from all fronts.  At the end as it turned out, he became the beautiful pride of Nigerian football today well sort for. He plays his politics well and solid.

Let me confess that numerous football loving fans across the country were eager that Nduka Irabor‘s LMC would set the ball rolling by enthroning a body that would replicate what the English Premiership League (EPL) has done to the most beautiful game in the globe in England for Nigeria.

But alas, the vicious killer virus called corruption and the Nigerian factor again rubbished what would have turned out to become the most far reached reforms and bold step for our indigenous league. Here we are now many steps backwards, exhibiting ignorance. LMC and its prime product, NPFL are not attracting investors; And make no mistake about it. Dikko cannot do any magic. I don’t know him to be a magician either. Dikko once blamed the woes of LMC and NPFL on saboteurs of this administration. He is marking time waiting earnestly when the tenure of Amaju led executive committee would expire and whistle for fresh election into the NFF board blown.  It is widely known, he would be in the race for Presidency.

Many unsuspecting fans do not know that the statute establishing LMC deliberately made it difficult for the body to go full blast to act and bring in results like EPL. It was self-inflicted, the same bug that kept Nigeria flat and face down in the mud till the time of writing this. It would not be termed an overstatement if this column disclaims LMC and its bye product, NPFL as jokers, clappers, onlookers and clowns of the first order in the 21^st century league management.   For how long the supposedly profit oriented Nigerian League would continue in this lonely high way remain a moot point, only the right time and pragmatic administrator that would dam every consequence  will set NPFL  free, otherwise this child’s play would take a very long period to abate.

It remains so pathetic to note today that players, coaches and other officials are being heavily owed years, months long salaries, allowance, bonuses and sign on fees, yet the LMC looks the other way. To compound it, all the debtor clubs are still competing actively in LMC championship year in year out. Some instances: the case of late former defender of 3SC FC of Ibadan, Izu Joseph; it took the national outcry for debtor clubs that late Kelechi Emetole (MON) worked for  to pay him, yet LMC is there overwhelmed by the ugly situation that goes on unhindered right under its nose. There are many absurd cases in the ‘management’ of the game here.  Very few of us that have reported and analysed the abnormal state that have been flagrantly displaying uncouth and utterly behaviours, abuse of office and heart coated without milk of human kindness from NFF bigwigs and its dummy like collaborator, LMC topmost.

The situation honestly calls for thorough soul searching and affirmative action against those that preside over this enclave and concentration camp called LMC/ NPFL.  Home truth is that home based professional players are suffering a great deal. They play on empty stomach. They are under the heavy yoke of extinction, only few club sides are well off in this unwholesome practice which holds sway in Nigeria where only the unpredictable thrives.

Daily Sports has been leading the voice for Izu Joseph’s payment of months-long salaries and allowances for the continued upkeep of his young family and aged father. But the Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, proprietor of 3SC FC of Ibadan has been adamant despite our renewed gentle but legitimate knock on his door these past months. His players are some of the numerous in NPFL that ply their trade on an empty stomach. This page will unveil state governments that inflicted this open sore on these players, officials and coaches of their teams.   

Why these refreshers came up again was to know vividly where we are coming from.  Shehu Dikko, the current boss of LMC, the body vested by the NFF to oversee our premiership league got the job as compensation for being prevented from contesting the Presidency of the NFF in 2014. He is the second Vice President of the NFF also.  Today, the eyes of these helpers Nigerians (players), coaches and backroom staff of these debt ridden state government owned clubs and their dependents have seen their ears. They are touching suffering and hardship that walk like human being before and around them, yet these dubious governors are feeding fat maintaining their dogs, a number of mainly underage girl friends and sundry, sacrificing the welfare of their respective players in their death trap football teams they use as public relation outfits for their selfish benefit.  Red alert is that most players lacing their boots in LMC managed NPFL, NNL, NWPL and sundry are like tied to the stakes. This is the resultant effects of a typical country without honest workable and entrenched system. That brought us to this nagging question: Who will Bell the Cat?

A story ran by Daily Sports in its Wednesday, July 26, 2017 edition, it’s human interest angle ignited or if you like swelled it to top other equally burning  national football issues happening simultaneously  across the land especially the alleged maneuvering and connivance by players’ agents and some dubious men in the NFF and its technical committee members to smuggle their players into the  call up list of lads to the Super Eagles camp against Cameroun as was the case in the AFCON qualifier against South Africa aimed to scuttle the firm resolution and determined vow by the  Eagles players and technical crew of the team to take the invading Indomitable Lions of Cameroun head on in the impending epic 2018 World Cup qualifier first leg game in Uyo September 1, with this banner headline, Debut: 13 Chinese clubs face competition ban

If you have missed the story this is it. I called it innovation and administrative acumen par excellence. The league that had facelift the other day it started attracting big name names in the game to the Asian country. That country’s FA is proactive and foremost had the welfare of the players at heart hence this summary warning. Have a swell time as you read through.

Thirteen Chinese Super League clubs have been told to clear debts or face a ban from the competition next season.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) wrote to all but three of the country's 16 top-flight clubs, as well as five lower-league teams.

The CFA claimed the clubs had outstanding debts on player transfers, salaries oremost or bonuses.

Many of the teams deny the claims, including Shanghai SIPG, who paid £60m for Brazil midfielder Oscar in January.

Transfer window opens with clubs facing 100% signings tax Chinese Super League reduces number of foreign players allowed to play.

The CFA's letter follows a similar move by the Asian Football Confederation, which wrote to the CFA on 11 July stating that clubs had until 31 August to clear all outstanding payments or face exclusion from next year's Asian Champions League.

Guangzhou Evergrande, two-time winners of the Asian Champions League, was among the clubs contacted, the CFA said.

In a statement on social media, Shanghai SIPG said they had "fully paid all of the arrears last October" and had "submitted its evidence to the CFA".

Jiangsu Suning, Shandong Luneng and Beijing Guoan issued similar statements while Shanghai Shenhua, who signed Carlos Tevez for a reported £40m in December, said they were investigating and would finalise outstanding payments as soon as possible.

Chinese football authorities have sought to crack down on spending, with new regulations put in place that mean loss-making clubs are hit with a 100% tax on signing players from overseas, effectively doubling transfer fees. The CFA has also reduced the number of overseas players permitted in match day squads.

It called to mind the kind of seriousness the Chinese FA attaches to their fledging league. However, the ‘I don’t care’ attitude and sheer arrogance by Nigerian administrators would blindfold them to ignore this lesson from China. It clearly shows determination to install discipline and sanity which would ensure no player is owed in any guise.  

I have argued at many fora and writings that it is not compulsory that states must present teams in the NPFL. I did also say that teams that would readily fulfill all financial and welfare obligations of the players should be allowed to compete, as only such moves would be the much needed conducive atmosphere to relieve the LMC and NPFL this embarrassment of owing players even when they unfortunately die in active duty.  If there is no law that backs LMC to sanction and ban any club (s) that fails to honour the financial obligations of the players must be included forthwith.

If NFF leadership and its heartless collaborators think we can easily forget in a hurry their maltreatment of fellow Nigerians that they force to play on empty stomach to engage in this energy snapping game, it shows outright wickedness a clear case of man’s inhumanity to man. We continue discussion on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and WhatsAPP.   Head or tail, keep shooting hard, till next week!

Source Daily Sports

Posted August 7, 2017

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