LAST WEEK, I started a series on “The Way Forward for Nigerian Football” by recalling the recommendations made by a committee that I was part of in 1999. In continuation of the memoranda that I promised to submit to the current executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on charting a new way forward for Nigerian football, I have again recalled below an article that was originally published in this column on October 28, 2002 (Nine years ago).

Titled “How to Rebuild Nigerian Football,” it was written by Shehu Adamu Dikko who later contested for the Presidency of the NFF last year and lost.

 Dikko was reacting to a “crazy suggestion” that I had made on the desirability of paying a decent salary to selected home-based Eagles players as a way of keeping them at home. His suggestions here are mainly on how to develop the domestic league which will lead to a strong Super Eagles. Let’s go...

How To Rebuild Our Football
By Shehu Adamu Dikko

Your article of Tuesday, 15 October, 2002, certainly makes an interesting reading. Thank God, you did explicitly indicate that it was a crazy idea and is just meant to stimulate further suggestions as to how to have a worthwhile home based Super Eagles to effectively compete with the foreign based players, and be able to stand their own against any team in the world.

Anyway, the suggestion you made is definitely not feasible for so many reasons, which I believe with your experience, you are aware of also. These factors include but are not limited to the following:

Nigeria is a country of over 120 million people with probably more than 10 million as footballers and each and every one deserves to play for the Super Eagles if he can measure up to the standards required. Therefore, it will not be feasible to select only a few to be put on salary by the NFA and be classified as national team players. This is because football is a progressive game and a player that is good today might not be good tomorrow, or other players with better qualities will emerge. Hence it will be very difficult to keep a standard team under the payroll of the NFA without shutting out other good players (which by extension will kill the game the more), Otherwise the NFA will end up with hundred or even thousands of players on their payroll.

The system will only encourage more corruption and decay in the system as sub standard players will be willing to share their salaries with the officials so as so be included in the programme. The case of what is happening at present in the junior teams and, to some extent the Super Eagles, will come handy in this regard.

 The system will not help Nigerian football move forward as it will not improve the standard of the local league. In fact, the system is simply escapist and will not add any value to the local league and will ultimately kill the league completely.

I view of the above, I wish to suggest that we just have to go back to the drawing board and see how we can improve the local league. One of the cardinal points of successfully achieving this is to have good facilities and the players should be well taken care of in a fair and competitive tournament. In this regard, I wish to propose the following:

First and foremost, The NFA should ensure that only teams that have standard playing grounds (stadium), training pitches, facilities, equipments and kits, housing (camps), insurance and adequate welfare for players should be allowed to partake in the league. In this respect, a minimum standard should be spelt out and vigorously enforced by the NFA. Here, the NFA should ensure that our teams are fashioned out in accordance to what is obtained in European Leagues.

The practice of signing players on a yearly contract and payment of signing-on fees to each players every season should be abolished. This is because most players keep changing clubs every year just for the sake of the signing on fees, which does not allow for continuity and planned development of the players and the team in general. Players should be made to sign long term contracts to ensure stability and continuity which will translate to good football.

The clubs should also be made to sign not less than 18 first team players and not more than 22, which are completely professionals. All other players should be reserved and second/youth team players, which should normally be between age of 13 to 20 years. All teams should have a youth academy and a decent programme to train young players.

A minimum salary of between N50,000 to N70,000 should be enforced for the first team players (professionals) while the reserves and the second/youth team player should be put on allowances of not less than N5,000 a month (since it’s expected that the young boys are living with their families and still going to school).

The NFA should make a law that only players above 20 years should be given clearance to play abroad. However, foreign clubs could still sign Nigerian players below 20 years but must allow them to continue to play in Nigeria until they reach the age of 20. Also, the NFA must see a copy of a player’s contract before he is cleared. To this end a clause should always be included in the contract whereby whenever the player is further transferred to another club, a certain percentage (say 2 to 5%) should be paid to the club that nurtured and trained him here in Nigeria.

The NFA should also set up a pension fund for the professional players whereby a certain percentage of their monthly income would be paid into. An independent organization (fund manager) with bias to players’ welfare and future decent existence should be formed to manage the fund. Players should be also encouraged to keep contributing to this fund even if they are based abroad. Accordingly, at the end of each year’s career, a pension is set up for him for a certain number of years depending on his total contribution to the fund and/or the fund will train him  on another endeavour of his choice so as to be able to hold a job that can sustain him for life. This will make the players to feel secure enough for their future and hence they will settle down and give their best always.

The NFA in conjunction with the Referee Association should also work to ensure that the standard of officiating is improved and maintained. In this regard, a standard should be enforced on the personnel to bee employed as referee and the kind of training they should receive. Only people of  unquestionable character and with a defined means of livelihood should be employed as referees.

The NFA should also establish contracts with top European clubs where our local coaches can be periodically sent on refresher course and attachment so as to improve their knowledge of the game and management skill. The administrators and management of the clubs should also be  sent on this kind of attachment and refresher courses.

The NFA should also ensure that all the league matches are recorded and highlights screened on national TV with one match as the star match.

Eventually, the star match should be shown live on national TV and satellite stations as well.

With the foregoing and other relevant factors in place, the standard of our football will certainly improve beyond reasonable doubt, the standard of our football will certainly improve beyond reasonable doubt. Also, once the players are well taken care of and they have a sense of security by playing at home, they will always prefer to stay at home and give their very best until such a time when they have a better contract in Europe. Also should they go to Europe and not succeed, they will not hesitate to come back home to play since the standard is good and the pay is reasonable. This will certainly translate to better national teams for Nigeria and it will eliminate the complex that the home-based player normally suffers when in camp with the foreign based players.

Once the standard of the league is good and the crowd are back to the stands, the SPONSORS will certainly come begging to participate by both sponsoring the league and the participating clubs. It will not be difficult for the teams to get sponsors from both home and abroad. Also, TV money will come into the league, which will further provide the teams with the financial stability required and thus to able to meet their bills and continue to develop and prosper under a good management.

I believe many will also think I am also “crazy” because where will the funds come from to effectively execute the above mentioned programmes. Certainly, without adequate funding nothing can be achieved and at present the Nigerian league does not have the necessary financial capability to support the programmes being suggested above. In this regard, I wish to suggest the following:

A study should be undertaken to effectively ascertain and estimate the potentials of establishing a standard and viable Nigerian football league from both the financial terms, job creation (for all sectors involved with the game), poverty alleviation, image of the country, etc.

With the above data at hand, a powerful lobby group should be set up comprising people of unquestionable character/influence to work on the Government and the powers that be so as to convince the Government on the need and desirability to supports the establishment of the National League (both financially, morally and legislatively etc.).

On the source of finance, here I suggest that the lobby group should impress it on the Government to dedicate part of the proceeds from the PRIVATIZATION PROGRAMME to initially finance the take off of the programme. This is because the companies being privatized are a collective asset of all Nigerians hence it will not be a problem should part of the funds be used to finance a programme that virtually all Nigeria will be beneficiaries one way or the other.

To start up the National League as described above, at least N30 billion Naira will be required. Accordingly, the Government should only give out the funds as a soft loan to the league repayable in say, 10 to 20 years without or with minimal interest. This is to ensure that the funds are judiciously and effectively utilized. Also, guarantees should be provided by the respective state governments for the participating clubs in conjunction with some participating banks before they can draw from the fund.

With the cash available, then the NFA should ask all the best teams in the country to make a presentation/proposal from where 16 to 20 top teams to participate in the league will be selected based on certain criteria such as history, followership, existing structures, quality of management, financial proposal, viability, etc. Weaker teams should be classified accordingly and be allowed to compete in the second and third divisions.

With the classification done, the NFF will provide funds to the teams to be able to provide the facilities required and also have a working capital. The NFA will take care of the provision of infrastructure such as match venue and TV equipment before handling them over to the clubs for further management and utilization.

Once the league takes off and stabilizes, a gradual privatization of the NFA as well as the clubs should be undertaken so as to make the system a purely private concern managed by private business.

Conclusively, it is my sincere belief that once we are able to have a strong and viable National League where everything is done professionally, we will have a strong Super Eagles (and other national teams as well) without recourse to the foreign based players. The case of Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and South Africa may come handy in this respect.

Whatever we so, we have to start from the scratch to be able to achieve the desired result. It may take some time, but it is only way out and the earlier we start the better.

Mumini Says... (In response to Dikko’s submission back then.)
lTo start with, I wish to commend the depth, the logic and sequence of presentation, and the sheer effort Dikko has put into writing such a long piece. Some of his suggestions, especially on how to raise money to finance the league, may be rather far-fetched, but that doesn’t detract from an overall brilliant postulation.

Obviously, Dikko prefers the NFA to adopt the basic, conventional approach to developing the league rather than any revolutionary stuff likes of which I advocate. Fine by me so long as we get it right this time.

I agree completely that the salary idea is open to corruption by coaches although I wish to correct the impression that only a few players will be placed permanently on NFA’s payroll. The idea is for players to keep their place only on merit although even that is subjective.

I back the idea of abolishing the yearly signing-on fees for league players. In fact, we tried the system of putting players on a minimum two-year contract when I was on the board of Shooting Stars of Ibadan in 1999, but we never got the opportunity to see it through. I agree that the NFA should now impose it from the top and make it mandatory for all clubs to sign players on minimum two years and maximum five years contract at a time.

Similarly, I also like the idea of fixing a minimum age limit for players seeking international transfers. I was in an NFA committee led by Amanze Uchegbulam that made a similar recommendation after our Nigeria ‘99 World Youth Championship failure, but the FA never implemented it. The other advantage of the idea is that players will be discouraged from cutting down their ages if they know they can’t get out until there’re 18 or 20.

It goes without saying that I also support Dikko’s recommendation of N50,000 minimum salary for league players because the issue of a decent pay was what stimulated my “crazy” NFA salary idea in the first place.

Dikko’s other suggestions about good pitches, refreshing television and sponsorship for the league are all conventional and have little to do with whether you pay national team players or not. These are basic necessities which have been lacking in our league for so long.

I shall be forwarding Dikko’s article to the NFA in hope that the secretary general, Taiwo Ogunjobi, will take positive action on some of the suggestions. To Ogunjobi’s credit, he has a listeling ear and he’s committed to turning the league around which will naturally rub off on the national team.

Yes, I concur with Dikko. If we fix our league properly, we wouldn’t have to go the “crazy” way.

The Falcons Crash

lSUPER FALCONS’ elimination from the 2012 Olympic football tournament following a penalty shoot-out loss to Cameroun in Yaounde last week is merely a continuation of the tragedy that has befallen Nigerian football. In the past, our domination of African women’s football was taken for granted. But now, we have failed to qualify for the All-Africa Games and Olympics in quick succession. Further evidence of the need for drastic measures to halt our free-fall as a football nation.

The “Noisy Neighbours”

lMANCHESTER United manager Sir Alex Ferguson got the beating of his managerial career last weekend when his “Noisy Neighbours” Manchester City handed out a 6-1 thrashing to the Red Devils at Old Trafford in the English Premier League.

Prior to the match, I had predicted like many others, a home victory for Man U but, for the first time since Robert Mancini’s arrival, City played to their true potential and secured a historic victory. Now, their title credentials are not in doubt unless they implode as the season unfolds.

Hurray, NPL is Back!

lAT LAST, the Nigerian Premier League (NPL) resumed in full swing last weekend with Sunshine Stars beating Dolphins 3-2 in the top-of-the-table clash. But the big news is about an unfolding case of embezzlement at the NPL secretariat. Since the NFF has established itself as the controlling body of the NPL, President Aminu Maigari must institute a thorough investigation and fish out any culprits for the sack.

In the meantime, let’s hope that the longest-running league season in world football history will finally conclude without  any further delays.