The Super Eagles’ 2-0 win over Chad last weekend in Kaduna State ushered in a new era for Nigerian football. Not only was it the first senior competitive international under the administration of the new Head of State President Muhammadu Buhari, it also coincided simultaneously with the campaigns of the Flying Eagles and the Super Falcons in New Zealand and Canada respectively.

So what does the future hold for Nigerian football and what should the new government do for the good of the nation’s sport? 

The pervading notion of Nigeria as the ‘Giant of Africa’ is undermined by the fact that basic structures that aid the growth of football are not very solid.

For a start, grassroots football is not well promoted and this needs to be addressed in order to continue producing potential talents for the future.

The Nigerian Premier League needs to be revamped as Nigerian clubs are not doing well enough in continental showpieces and have been overtaken by teams from other countries.

Two-time African champions Enyimba have been nowhere to be found on the continent since their CAF Champions League triumph in 2003 and 2004. Shooting Stars, who were the first Nigerian club to win a continental trophy back in 1995, have found themselves in the Second Division in recent times. Nigerian clubs have what it takes to match other African sides that have dominated in recent times such as Al-Ahly, Zamalek, TP Mazembe, Raja Casablanca, Esperance and Etoile du Sahel among others. After all, Nigerians such as Michael Eneramo, William Okpara, Julius Aghahowa all performed well while plying their trade for some of these teams.

The government of Buhari should do more to encourage private ownership of clubs rather than state ownership. There should also be increased sponsorship in the league. Mediums such as SuperSport and Goal Nigeria have done a tremendous job in delivering excellent coverage of the league, but more can be done to encourage fans to flock stadiums each weekend.

Stadia across the country also need serious upgrades. Prominent players should be able to return home at the climax of their careers rather than going to USA, Australia, China and elsewhere.

South Africa star Benni McCarthy ended his career at home with Orlando Pirates in 2013 after spending 14 trophy-laden years in Europe.

Others include Cameroon centre back Raymond Kalla who called it a day with Union Douala as well as Tunisian defender Khaled Badra who returned to Esperance late in his career.

The NFF has projected a bad image of Nigerian football over the years with internal conflicts which invoke the wrath of Fifa. Never again must the Nigerian game be brought into disrepute by Fifa threatening sanctions following misdemeanours by the game’s administrators.

The Super Eagles are the pride of Nigerian football, and they must be remunerated when due.

It’s wrong not to be able to compensate players who have sacrificed themselves for their beloved country. Refusal to pay bonuses shouldn’t be an issue for the NFF. Nigeria is not like Cameroon, Togo, Benin among other countries that face an uphill task to remunerate their star players. The administration needs to remove all the bad eggs that turn funds meant for the development of the Super Eagles-and Nigerian football as a whole-into their private pockets.

Nigeria deserves to be on top of the food chain of African football. The likes of South Africa and the North African countries as well as some of Nigeria’s West African neighbours should not be the ones taking the lead.

Nigeria is endowed with enormous resources that should put it at the top.

Failure of the Buhari government to enhance the development of football in Nigeria by a greater margin might see the country falling down the order in the food chain of African football while those that shouldn’t be a match from the proclaimed ‘Giants of Africa’ might seize the limelight. 

Read it here: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4082/editorial/2015/06/22/12954902/what-must-the-buhari-government-do-for-nigerian-football

Bute why is PMB fairer in complexion in the pix above than usual?

I thought U wont add sauce..

hefty4real:
g

Goal

demmy0325:
I thought U wont add sauce..

like pepper and salt with tomatoes