safarigirl:
nah...it's just a jab, at least on my part. I don't actually think that the Championship is better, just mocking the usual suspects.

Icon4s:


Well, I quickly went to check Bristol's position in the Championship. They are 4th and so within the play off zone. It means they have a good chance of making it to the EPL next season. And if Iheanacho goes and performs there they may even over-take Derby county who are just 2points away in 2nd position and gain automatic qualification.
And then seek permanent transfer for the player.

Benefit of this move is he will get enough playing time as we build up to Russia. The championship is really very competitive even more competitive than the Dutch or Belgian top divisions IMO.

Well, for me it is a better option than where he is as I don't think Puel having any plans for Iheanacho.

modified: Bristol are even playing the semi final of the League Cup.

Kog45:
icon4s baba just seen Komne and forgiveness laughing now,it seems guys are now saying championship is better than Dutch and Belgium top league just cos of Bristol interest in Kelechi Iheanacho.

Kog45:
Hope Leicester situation would not repeat itself in Bristol like Coach doesn't know how to use him or Bristol patterns of play doesn't suit Nacho,so he should look for a club that he can fit in,making mistake again would be disastrous to his career.

AIG07:

you've just raised a good topic.

First I'll have to commend the Shehu Dikko led administration for the great job done so far. But there are still much things to be done to take our league to the pinnacle.

The major and obvious things turning fans away are poor officiating, poor pitches, bad publicity of media etc. There is need
to improve on the above to have an automatic increament in followership.

Other things that needs to be done to complement the above for a general drastic improvement in our local leagues, are
government must be ready to relinquish power, authority and ownership of these clubs.

Most Nigerians do not feel connected/attached to these clubs. No sense of belongings etc. It's high time football is taken to the people. Let them be part of it and not just spectators...

How do we achieve this? Privatization is the only way forward. There is need to monetize our football. Football can only thrive on Capitalism.

Having community owned clubs, privately owned clubs will change alot of things. The level of attendance at our stadia will surge.

Another thing that might be affecting fans attendance is Distance. Adopting the zonal league system like we have in the NNL structured after the MLS style could help increase fans attendance considering the proximity of stadia and poor transport system in the country... You can't expect MFM Fans to travel over 1000kms by road to the city of Borno to watch their darling team play El kanemi. So zoning the league will reduce the distance fans will have to cover to watch their teams play.

Let me stop here for now...

terzurum5:

A valid question for our candid considerations Sir. I think this is another area we need to deliberate on seriously and make recommendations to the appropriate quarters.

What can we do to improve on poor spectators in our stands during matches?
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Icon4s:


Eh if he starts warming bench at Bristol then they send him on another loan to a mid or lower table championship team. And if he still continues chopping bench they loan him again to a lower division.

How come we have never ever put into consideration pattern of play of either player or club when we discuss transfer of other players? It is only Iheanacho that a club must suit his pattern.

If he cannot get the nod at Bristol then what are we talking about?

Icon4s:


Hahaha not because of Iheanacho.

It is a fact. The Dutch and Belgian top flight are not more competitive than the English championship jare.

Watch the word I used: "competitive".

Icon4s:


Eh if he starts warming bench at Bristol then they send him on another loan to a mid or lower table championship team. And if he still continues chopping bench they loan him again to a lower division.

How come we have never ever put into consideration pattern of play of either player or club when we discuss transfer of other players? It is only Iheanacho that a club must suit his pattern.

If he cannot get the nod at Bristol then what are we talking about?

Danycrusoe:


they are the ones we can use the only thing we can do is ask the Nigeria Referee Association to do more of training, enlightenment and refresher courses for them. Referees inefficiency is not caused by LMC and the LMC can only do little about it. let the NRA do something too

mank1234:


Pitch is a very important factor. I watch and enjoy Akwa United matches with no fear of violence unlike in the past when they were using Uyo township stadium. The league is improving.

The league needs followership to make money (ticket sales, TV right, advertisements). If we all stay away and complain, they won't be much improvement. We play better games than some North African and Arab leagues yet they have more spectators. It's not as if we follow European football than them yet they still follow their local league. LMC can't do it alone.

Timing for mid-week games needs to change. 4pm is not favourable at all.

Danycrusoe:


ur last paragraph is what I get furious at when people say it to me. I'm like u pay to help them improve their league but u can't pay to improve urs. if u don't build ur house no one will help u do. it's just like having a piece of land with a foundation on it but rather than plan and rebuild or finish ur house u prefer paying rent at the detriment of ur own house and even make ur house a laffing stock.

When Arsenal finally broke the trophy less run by winning the FA Cup it didn't feel any different to the time when de won nothing, since then I stopped wasting my money and time to go watch them. y would I continue wasting money on a team whose success and failure adds nothing to me or even my geographical area.

meanwhile MFM qualifying for the champions league alone made me happy, I have dx sense of belonging cuz I'm a member and believe me whenever we v a special programme like power must change hands the G.O doesn't hesitate to announce the team's latest success, encourage fans to visit the stadium and even buy their jersey.

I can support any Nigeria clubside and it will always be Nigeria over foreign. I v watched more live local league games than I v watched the El classico, I v not even watched it twice while some will kee demselv ontop

komekn:


You probably will not be suprised but I have some friends who, catch a flight Friday night from Lagos get into London in the morning watch Arsenal and fly back that night back to Lagos.

Sometimes they will fly into Manchester from London to watch Arsenal at away matches.

There is something truly perverse in that they probably do not know all the names of the local teams and will struggle to mention the names of up to 10 local league players.

Until we value our local league, appreciate and patronise it, this trend will not stop.

And for those who think I only watch all things English I went to watch Etebo when he was at Warri Wolves. And not on TV I sat in the Sun in Warri Township stadium. I didn't have s steak pie after the match but roasted bole.

Danycrusoe:


u seem to be the only person aside bascovanveli and icons97 who hv given the truest opinion about the league.

I vnt encountered violence in the stadiums I v visited altho I must say that it happened a few times last season. that's one area that needs to be sorted.

2. some stadiums are awful (eg rwang pam stadium, Jos and Elkanemi stadium) but 80% are decent with the artificial grass, more of natural is needed.

the issue of salary is caused by corruption and political games, private clubs don't owe, the reason ifeanyi uba owed his players was because he had issues with the efcc last year I think. Mfm, Remo stars Akwa united, Kano pillars do not owe and I know Rivers united v the money it's just politics

Humility017:

you make me laugh...see how you taking pride in a league where close 10 clubs are owning their players...and many can't pay their players good salaries....

you expect me to sit down in a sunny day watch their match...?

not until the clubs are auctioned out to private bodies for management and the clubs drastically reduced to let say...

20clubs..........NPFL
20clubs...........NNL2
16 CLUBS.....NNL1. ..A
16 CLUBS....NNL1.....B

each state of the federation should provide 2 clubs each....other football clubs and academics should be affiliated to this football clubs by geographical location...

the clubs should be privatised....solely managed by corporate bodies....

the LMC should also be privatised in the senses that the npfl sponsor e.g GLO in time past should take up the management of the LMC....wit nff having some reps as board members...

the Nigeria military should be encouraged to be one of the league sponsors....where they will help provide security at match venue.....
until some of this silent points raised above and some other persons are adopted...the Labour in vain who strive to market this league.....

BascoVanVeli:


Show me proof that close to 10 NPFL clubs currently owe salary or forever hold ur peace.

OMANBALA1:


How much do people pay to watch those EPL matches ? When I still dey Naija all you need is a bottle of beer and you wouldnt have to worry but this was some 14 yrs ago.Now let me address the issue of poverty you raised, if you are gonna have 20,000 people to travel from around Lagos state to national stadium Surulere to watch a local league and pay 3000 naira to watch a match then you will realize how poverty plays a role. A person who earns 20,000 monthly will not waste 3000 to go watch some karate exhibition in the name of soccer. Now, factor the security aspect and transportation and people would rather hang in there street and watch el classico.....Ononenyi

Kog45:
icon4s baba just seen Komne and forgiveness laughing now,it seems guys are now saying championship is better than Dutch and Belgium top league just cos of Bristol interest in Kelechi Iheanacho.

Danycrusoe:


those videos are that of the NNL and basically NNL doesn't drive much supporters like the NPFL, I v gone to stadiums to watch both and I can tell u u can get at least 3k in any I NPFL match centre but u would struggle to get 500 at any NNL match centre.

Generally I still think publicity for our league is low, both on broadcast media and social media and the club's themselves are to blame I know some twitter handles of NNL and even NPFL sides that wouldn't update their page for their next match and they would only do so days after the last match.

I think the point above is y NPFL gets more crowd than NNL cuz the publicity the former gets is more higher than the latter.

the first thing to do is PUBLICISE the league, I believe this will bring fans. I never knew I had a course mate who had interests in the local leagues until I told him ikorodu United were playing Go round at the gateway stadium that Sunday. I was surprised he asked me not to forget to remind him whenever I'm leaving for the stadium and we went together.

Now imagine the number of fans who would v gone to see the games if only they knew.

but then I v a cousin who despite my preachings never followed me to the Osogbo township stadium to see osun united play he x aware of the league but he has a bad perception of it. now how do u convert this kind of a person? u need to repackage and increase the volume of publicity. there is this theory that no matter how poor a media content is "constant and consistent exposure of it to media users will make them get used and make it interesting to them".

my cousin always use the South African league as an example he has said it v4 that he would rather pay 5k to subscribe to dstv and watch the SA psl than spend 100naira to get a cab to watch NNL n NPFL matches at the stadium.

long story short, let's repackage the league we can start with the NTA deal advertise upcoming games with colourful graphics and the best goals from previous match centres like the epl does. I'm 90% sure if dx x done for at least 2 seasons there would be massive increase in followership of the league

let the publicity be consistent even when there is no match until weekend. on TV, Radio (the radio stations even do more of this than TV and newspapers ) and newspapers

Security should be increased then the quality of play should improve.

if u doubt that there x still interest in the league watch MFM home games on YouTube from 2016, watch Rangers etc even Remo stars had more fans that I tot. I saw vip stand with 500naira tickets filled, some brought their families.

during my visit to a remo stars home game, I heard a guy say at the popular side stand that "this is our league, this I can spend my money to watch not a league where my existence is not known to them". u v to see dx guys discuss about Abiola babe's, gateway united etc

Many are willing to come but they need a little PUSH and conviction

OMANBALA1:


How much do people pay to watch those EPL matches ? When I still dey Naija all you need is a bottle of beer and you wouldnt have to worry but this was some 14 yrs ago.Now let me address the issue of poverty you raised, if you are gonna have 20,000 people to travel from around Lagos state to national stadium Surulere to watch a local league and pay 3000 naira to watch a match then you will realize how poverty plays a role. A person who earns 20,000 monthly will not waste 3000 to go watch some karate exhibition in the name of soccer. Now, factor the security aspect and transportation and people would rather hang in there street and watch el classico.....Ononenyi

elyte89:
Iheanacho?bristol?.....D guy is finished!

Danycrusoe:


they are the ones we can use the only thing we can do is ask the Nigeria Referee Association to do more of training, enlightenment and refresher courses for them. Referees inefficiency is not caused by LMC and the LMC can only do little about it. let the NRA do something too

Danycrusoe:


guy let me tell u, epl is now 150 per match but it's not a big sum anyway but u r still having a bad image of the league which has changed over the years. I can tell u how people who earn 10,000 pay 200naira for popular side at the ifeanyi ubah stadium.

Godwin enakhana is the chairman of MFM fc and he is a member of MFM church I remember he said on radio that a rescheduled mfm game that was postponed due to rain on Sunday evening was played on Monday morning by 8am and even with the wet Weather he was surprised at the number of fans they pulled..... ON A MONDAY MORNING.... IN LAGOS....this alone trumps watever u r trying to say. do u know what many of them payed to get in. 100 Naira popular side 300 vip and 500vvip at the age get stadium it was a Monday morning and my brother they sold tickets. I don't know if u r in hunger land.

u v become the whites that think Nigeria is soon wretched people hardly eat in 2 days

tbaba1234:


LMC can enforce minimum requirements for referees. That would force the NRA to take some action to improve referee quality. Also, the welfare of referees should not be left to host teams.

MetalJigsaw:
Sampaoli Worried Over Dwindling Form Of Argentina Stars

Argentina coach, Jorge Sampaoli, is concerned with the lack of playing time of some of his key stars at their various clubs ahead of 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The Albiceleste, two-time winners of the World Cup, have been drawn in Group D along with Nigeria, Croatia and Argentina.
According to a report in Ole.com.ar , Sampaoli is worried that the likes of first choice goalkeeper, Sergio Romero, Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria, Javier Pastore and not playing regularly for their clubs.

The former Chile and Seville coach has encouraged the players to seek a permanent transfer or loan in the January window to boost their fitness and chances of making the World Cup squad.

Romero is second choice to David De Gea at Manchester United and has been limited to a couple of appearances in the League Cup and was in goal for the Red Devils in Friday’s Emirates FA Cup 2-0 win against Derby County at the Old Trafford.

Experienced midfielder cum centre-back, Mascherano has been in and out of Spanish giants Barcelona team this season, while Di Maria is not longer assured of a regular starting berth at French club Paris Saint Germain due to the arrival of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Pastore and Giovani Lo Celso are further behind the pecking order at PSG, while defensive midfielder Matias Kranevitter has also struggled to get game time with Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia.

The South Americans will face the Super Eagles in their last group game on June 20 at the Krestovsky Stadium, St Petersburg.



https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/sampaoli-worried-dwindling-form-argentina-stars/

mank1234:


Pitch is a very important factor. I watch and enjoy Akwa United matches with no fear of violence unlike in the past when they were using Uyo township stadium. The league is improving.

The league needs followership to make money (ticket sales, TV right, advertisements). If we all stay away and complain, they won't be much improvement. We play better games than some North African and Arab leagues yet they have more spectators. It's not as if we follow European football than them yet they still follow their local league. LMC can't do it alone.

Timing for mid-week games needs to change. 4pm is not favourable at all.

tbaba1234:


We do not play better games than north african teams.

There is no viewership because of the poor quality of the league, poor officiating and poor marketing. A league where home teams are destined to win.