"Building a prosperous League" Task before the NNL board

 

By

Olusola Adebayo

The Nigeria Football Federation announced a new board for Nigeria Football Leagues across the board apart from the Nigeria Premier League, NPL.

The basics for the selection of persons into the various posts are not known, It is expected that anyone that will be named must be willing and ready to serve in that capacity as picking persons with capability is enough.

But the selection mode is not my priority with this piece of mind, as long as those selected have no objection and those that will be governed by the board ( Clubs) are okay with the decision, then, we can ask for the next verse.

The next verse is no doubt the agenda before the boards, and how the league can be better managed than the shameful showing of the last two years.

This is the main crux matter of this piece. The focus is on the need for the new board to hit the ground running and transform the Nigeria National League, NNL the most important league in Nigeria, (sic) into the prosperous one.

A league where private club owners/investors can be sure of some form of returns, a league where players and coaches can be proud of the league as major stakeholders, and not a league where players in the league won't be calling their dad for food money despite playing professional football.

 

For the record, the NFF announced ( on Friday 7, 2023) veteran Journalist, George Aluo is the new Chairman of the Nigeria National League, with Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki as his vice. Yakubu Sarma, Sani Mohammed, Donald Ikpe, Joseph Uzoma Ebowusim, and Dotun Sanusi will serve as members, while Emmanuel Attah will be the chief executive officer.

 

The board of the second tier of professional league in Nigeria will have their hands full immediately after their inauguration by the NFF that will be coming up soonest.

The first task before the board is to change the present mode of running the league, which makes it a breeding ground for poverty as money from clubs has been the sole source of funds coming into the league with nothing to gain as a return on investment.

The clubs were made to pay 2.7 million naira each as registration fees in the last two seasons in addition to other expenses that are incurred in the process of prosecution of their matches which runs into several millions of naira.

These avoidable tolls include the FA' money', provision of stadium security, match officials' emollients, and accommodation.

All these can be avoided, as under no circumstances teams should be paying for referee accommodation and pay referees indemnities.

This tills the ground for the cultivation of corruption and compromise the officials in the discharge of their duties.

This sorry narrative must change, first George Aluo and his team must as a matter of urgency declare a state of emergency in the league's financing and aggressively look for sponsors for the league, as this will go a long way in helping the clubs in defraying some of these neck cutting expenses.

The board also needs to roll up its sleeves and get to work by ensuring that matches are played on good pitches to allow for good football, where players can easily display their wares.

 

 

 

Efforts must be made to ensure that the games are on live TV either through social media or conventional television stations.

This singular stream will have prosperity flows into the league, and in time fans will be identified with the teams, and scouts can have an easy assessment of the players this will in time make the league a fertile ground for the player, Clubs, as this is the basic essence of playing in the league that is improving the economics of investors and key stakeholders in the league.

On the competition

With over 46 teams vying for just four spaces into the NPFL, a considerable amount of desperation, and rivalry competition on the side of the teams hence the basic operation of the NNL is to provide a level playing field for all the teams.

But this is the opposite of what is obtainable in the league as points are won by the highest bidders as exemplified in many shady officiating that characterize the league in the last couple of years.

 The board needs to put their foot on the ground and fully take charge of the league as hooliganism, and all manner of organized cheats are employed to get undue points and subsequently promotion into the Nigeria Premier League.

All these need to be revered by the board and give us a truly professionally managed Nigeria National League, that teams will be proud to be a part of the family.

A prosperous NNL  that can attract investors with a guaranteed return on investment is possible and this is another golden chance to start all over again.