By: Farouk Olamide Yusuf
@EmperorOlamz

The last edition was concluded with a request of grant worth at least $500 million for stadia upgrade across the federation. It sounded like a bombshell, to which many feels it’s too outrageous and crazy. What’s your own take on this? We don’t have the fund or the federal government won’t be ready to offer it out? This is coming at a time the economy of the country needs total diversification, a time we need to generate income from every available source to save from total dependence on oil revenue. Other sectors such as Agriculture, mining, tourism, real estate, sport needs to be explored to give a stable and crisis-free economy. The sport sector seems to be the least explored sector among all but could generate billions for the nation annually. Sport, especially football is a multi-billion business nowadays with great benefit for the athletes, investors and nations around the world. Countries like the United State of America, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Jamaica, Australia, China, etc had invested greatly in the sport sector and today, it has yielded them huge revenue, world class athlete, thousands of job opportunities, billions of investment and good national image. Nigeria should not be left out among nation that has made this giant stride.


As earlier said the grant will be used in upgrading existing stadia into world class. Though, I ‘m not a construction engineer, I ‘m quite sure the fund will be enough to upgrade our existing facilities into world class including capacity extension of some among them. The construction will cut across 40 to 50 stadia through out the federation with no state left out. No stadium in Nigeria requires not one or two upgrades, even the Abuja national stadium, Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium in Porthacourt and the Nest of champion in Uyo. Do you disagree? Both stadia lacks the best quality pitch, digital LED perimeter advertisement board, underground drainage and grass wetting system, HD digital broadcast cameras and facilities, etc. Even the pitches at those stadia are not the quality top class required of a 5 star stadium according to FIFA standard. All stadia must be upgraded with best quality materials and latest technology available around the globe. This singular act will serve as a call and awareness to the world, most especially investors, about the new wonder about to happen in the home of the largest concentration of the black race. As the giant of Africa, we‘ve built several empires, our movie industry, Nollywood, today is the second largest in the world behind Indian Bollywood and second to none in the dark continent. The Nigerian music industry is the biggest and most productive on the African continent and has received worldwide attention. Why is the most loved sport in the country left out?


Population of a certain state and the number of quality stadium the state has should determine the number of stadia to be renovated in a particular state and also the capacity it should be. Successful clubs available in a state should also be a factor. The upgrading of the stadia should start with the abandoned Surulere National Stadium in Lagos, the deplorable condition of the stadium should be a major concern for the citizen of this country. A stadium that hosted the first AFCON won by the country in 1980 and has hosted top class player like Xavi Hernandes, Iker Casillas and other top class great players around the world. The stadium already has the capacity of approximately 60,000 people and should be extended to an 100,000 capacity stadium or more considering the large population of Lagos. Do you agree? London has a 90,000 capacity stadium, Johannesburg has a 95,000 capacity stadium, Munich, Milan and Madrid has 80,000, why not Lagos which has larger population and more football-mad fans.


The contract of the stadia project should be awarded by the LMC to prevent any case of corruption and preferably to different contractors in order to speed up the construction works through out the country. This certainly will lead the LMC to halt the league for 6 month in order not to disrupt ongoing works at the venues. This means the next season will commence August 2016 which will make the league calendar equate with the European and FIFA calendar. This construction will create thousand of job opportunities, bring in foreign investors and give the giant of Africa a good global image. LMC must make sure all stadia are renovated and upgraded with all necessary top class facilities required of a standard stadium. Upgraded stadia must have necessary facilities including best quality pitch (green grass or Daesso GrassMaster), retractable seats, electronic scoreboard, digital clock, floodlights, sophisticated cover stand, media facilities, LED perimeter advertising system, helipad, media facilities, metal detector, best quality live broadcasting facilities, close circuit television, ambulance bay, quality parking space, quality dressing room and other required facilities. Having them all in our stadia will boost the country’s global standing in football and also result to huge Television right for the league.


Within the period of stadia upgrade, LMC should collaborate with private investors most especially the ones who are ready to become club owners and set a league structure and standards. This will be the basis the LMC and the clubs will operate on. The meeting together of the league body and the club owners will entails discourse such as the component of the league executives, required component and staffs of a club, players and coaches salary structure, structure of club’s board of directors, requirements for registration and licensing, club ownership requirement, league and cup competition format, league calendar, match scheduling, minimum fund required of a club for operating, estimated expected income from TV right, league constitution and code of conduct, club operation guideline, ownership transfer processes, stadium maintenance, team component, youth leagues, club academy requirement, transfer processes, player’s contractual requirement, foreign player quota, league and cups participation prizes, transfer window, loan transfer system, match officials requirement, league and cup competition title sponsorship and all necessary requirement for a top class league.


Club ownership should either be single proprietorship, for example Chelsea F.C, owned by Russian billionaire and oil magnate, Roman Abrahamovic or group ownership, which will consist minimum of two individuals and maximum of ten, for example, Arsenal F.C, owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, Russian-Usbek business mogul Alisher Usmanov and other minority shareholders. Community ownership at this stage is not feasible and realistically practicable as we have to bring the love of the league into the mind of the fans first before any step of community ownership of clubs can be taken. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy with several forbes-list billionaires, we have the rich business mogul and oil magnate who can takeover the operation of the clubs if the necessary facilities are put in place. Most of these business moguls are football-mad but improper management and poor organisation by the country’s football federation has led them to sit back for years but the football spirit in them never dies. They‘ve always been a true fan of Nigerian football.


Nigerian clubs from inception are not owned by government but private hand. Poor management in the late 90s led to their withdrawal and the state government came to the rescue though a lot of clubs were disbanded. Poor organisation has led to the disbanding of historic clubs like Leventis United, Raccah Rovers, BBC Lion, Abiola Babes, Eagles Cement, etc and left some historic big club wandering at lower league such as Bendel Insurance, Stationery Stores, Bridge F.C, Mighty Jets, etc. Stadia upgrade might see these clubs rise again in a new dimension and compete for glory in front of their glorious fans through old days supporters who are now wealthy, rising again of their favourite clubs is what they live up to but they don’t wish to put their money into anything that won’t yield the needed result. These wealthy supporters who are ready to be new club owners could use their business connections to seek sponsorship deals for this club which will certainly boost the club’s financial status.


Football today is a big business, a multi-billion industry which is creating a lot of wealth, if necessary facilities are put in place for investors. African business men today are all after short term profit which is the major reason our league has been neglected by our billionaires. Our business men are not strong in the heart like their Arab counterpart who believed in possibility in everything. Operating a club in Nigeria at the moment is more like running a charity organisation, an humanitarian service, it’s just a well you dump the excesses of your money, you only have to pump the fund into the team and forget about it, such kind of a money is no more available in the country. Nigerians have refused to invest in the league and the major reason foreign investors are not seeing the Nigerian football industry as an option. The LMC should create an avenue where all clubs are operated with the aim of making reasonable profit to avoid bankruptcy. This would see the clubs more financially buoyant and self-sufficient, operated more professionally and appealing to football lovers in Nigeria and around the world.


Several wealthy football-loving Nigerians are out there, ready to invest millions into the football industry provided there is a proper management and they can make profit from it or satisfy their interest. I believe omeone like Orji Uzor Kalu won’t hesitate to take over the operation of Enyimba F.C if all needed and necessary facilities for a top class league area available. As the Governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu sponsored Enyimba from the scrap to become the most successful club in Nigeria in a very short period thereby overtaking Shooting Stars at the top of the log. Enyimba under the care and support of Kalu won the CAF champions league 2 consecutive times, a feat that has never been achieved by any Nigerian club though before then, Shooting Stars have played in the final of the competition twice but lost on both occasions and Heartland F.C has played in the final once but also fell. Enyimba broke the jinx and won it 2 consecutive occasions but didn’t participate in the World Club Cup as the tournament didn’t hold in those two years. Also, Akin Alabi will willingly take over the outright ownership of his boyhood club Shooting Stars of Ibadan and might even face tough competition from other wealthy old supporters of the club. We already have Ifeanyi Ubah, Chris Giwa, Kunle Soname, Senator Bukola Saraki who owns a club at Apex level or lower league. Several millionaires are out there like Femi Otedola, Mike Adenuga, Hakeem Bello-Osagie, Tony Elumelu, Cosmos Maduka, Innocent Chukwuma, Razak Okoya, Deji Adeleke, etc who are wealthy enough to make our local clubs top-class.


They can all learn from Patrice Motsepe and Kantumbi who has made Mamelodi Sundown and TP Mazembe trophy winning clubs. Mazembe has won the CAF champions league three times under Katumbi and they‘ve played in World Club Cup final. Ifeanyi Ubah has also joined the league of African billionaire having takeover the ownership of Gabros FC. Wondering I haven’t mentioned the name Aliko Dangote yet? The Arsenal saga seems to be the major reason for this. Stay tuned for the next edition as it will entails a lot about him and role of fans in building a sustainable soccer leagues.

Taiocol, uduokirika1, krasid, groundnutoil, evestar200,




Seun Honeric01 lalasticlala mukina2

AkinAlabi is on NL and should come answer some questions

Well-done Sir . Your articles makes a whole lot of sense.

Well-done Sir . Your articles makes a whole lot of sense.

Jaypea98:
Well-done Sir .
Your articles makes a whole lot of sense.

thanks a lot

Wow wetin b im moniker mention him o nice of bro i like d 3rd stadia such a beauty tel me y i wont watch fotbal at such stadia

taiocol:
AkinAlabi is on NL and should come answer some questions

taiocol:

https://www.nairaland.com/akinalabi

menh it been long

groundnutoil:
menh it been long

he is a member of NL from inception.

lalasticlala, mukina2, honeric01, seun, semid4lyfe.

must we beg all the time for FP? this article has been posted over 12 hours ago and it still lies fallow here.

Taiocol groundnutoil....... abeg talk to ur people ooo

groundnutoil:
Wow wetin b im moniker mention him o nice of bro i like d 3rd stadia such a beauty tel me y i wont watch fotbal at such stadia

yeah...... the third one is nice

24lolade:
insightful

24

Thanks.....


seun istilove, lalasticlala mukina2 ........

24lolade:
insightful

24

Thanks.....


seun istilove, lalasticlala mukina2 ........

In as much as I agree that all stadia should be renovated, I dont think I'll go with your suggestion that the League should be postponed for 6 months.

What would happen to Clubs repping us in Africa?

What about the players whose lives depends on the salary they get? Should they stay home because the stadia are being renovated?

Ajibel:
In as much as I agree that all stadia should be renovated, I dont think I'll go with your suggestion that the League should be postponed for 6 months.
What would happen to Clubs repping us in Africa?
What about the players whose lives depends on the salary they get? Should they stay home because the stadia are being renovated?

Seems prince doesn't know that Africa and Europe doesn't operate with same soccer calendar. And Nigeria League goes with the Africa soccer season.



We must not change that

Ajibel:
In as much as I agree that all stadia should be renovated, I dont think I'll go with your suggestion that the League should be postponed for 6 months.
What would happen to Clubs repping us in Africa?
What about the players whose lives depends on the salary they get? Should they stay home because the stadia are being renovated?

Nice suggestion..... I expected someone to ask this question.

Some stadia needs partial renovation and upgrades.... such as Abuja national stadium, adokiye amiesimaka stadium, nest of champion and probably the karkanda stadium. The team participating in continental competitions should make use of those stadia as their renovation will be completed very early. They might all probably not perform well in the continental competitions next year but that will be the last time they will compete in the continent without adequate preparation and proper welfare.


On players who rely on wages they earn from the clubs...... you and I know most of this players sometimes owed more than 12 month salary. It will be a case of short term pain and long term gain. If you keep following the article, I have stated in one of the forthcoming editions the minimum wage of league players which will be N500,000 ($2500) and might be subjected to 100% increase in 2 years depending on the incomes clubs were able to generate.

taiocol:




Seems prince doesn't know that Africa and Europe doesn't operate with same soccer calendar. And Nigeria League goes with the Africa soccer season.



We must not change that

No league in Africa operates with the CAF calendar.... the calendar even collide with FIFA senior competition such as world cup. Top football countries in Africa such South Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Angola, Libya, Morocco, etc.


Nigeria has once played an abridge league to meet up with the European calendar in 2006 but was disrupted in 2010. Recommendation were made by a league board meeting done before the commencement of the previous season to LMC to adjust our league calendar.

if this edition had hit front page...... the third edition should be have being posted today.

crownprince102:

No league in Africa operates with the CAF calendar.... the calendar even collide with FIFA senior competition such as world cup. Top football countries in Africa such South Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Angola, Libya, Morocco, etc.


Nigeria has once played an abridge league to meet up with the European calendar in 2006 but was disrupted in 2010. Recommendation were made by a league board meeting done before the commencement of the previous season to LMC to adjust our league calendar.

You are wrong, all most all leagues operates the caf calendar, from Kenya, Egypt, sudan, Congo etc operates with it

taiocol:



You are wrong, all most all leagues operates the caf calendar, from Kenya, Egypt, sudan, Congo etc operates with it

did you say Egypt? Egyptian league season starts in August and ends in may. Sudanese league calendar was obstructed by civil war....... Kenyan and Congolese league are of low class. Some secondary school pitch in Nigeria are better than stadium used in Kenya. Aside Moi international stadium in kasarani, Nairobi, the rest are substandard. Congolese league has been abandoned since 2013 due to financial struggle and club boycott.

If all top leagues in Africa follows the FIFA calendar...... why not Nigeria.


CAF calendar do not state a certain period for commencement and closure of league season in it calendar nor any period for transfer window. you can view the calendar here.
http://www.cafonline.com/en-us/caf/fullcafcalendar.aspx

.........

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