Category: SOS

Ex-international Emmanuel Babayaro speaks to TAIWO ALIMI & ADEYINKA AKINTUNDE on his long expedition from active football to becoming a social crusader.

Emmanuel Hyacinth Babayaro is a man of multiple parts and this is how he put it in his own words: “I’m an ex-international and Olympic gold medallist. I’m one of the lucky Nigerian to have featured in all the national teams of the country: the U-17, U-20, U-23 and the Super Eagles. A member of the Order Of Niger (OON), a philanthropist, a humanitarian and an activist, I’m a football administrator of repute, an actor and musician. Even though I am keeping that on a low, I’m a family man, a lover not a fighter. I love my country and I’m religious.”

Though Babayaro, and his younger brother, Celestine (Chelsea and Super Eagles defender), hugged the limelight at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic, he kicked off his football career from a Kaduna ghetto.

“Like I would say, I think God sent me football as a means to an end, as a means of getting out of the ghetto and out of poverty. It started back in the 80’s when I was in primary school. I  remember I would go with my immediate elder brother, Charles, one of the great goalkeeper in Kaduna, (he is late now)  as a goalkeeper, and I would be surprised seeing him “flying” as we called it then, we later knew it is called diving. Watching my brother, he was a superman to me.  He would give me his things, and after the match, he would collect it back. That’s my first experience with football.”

By accident, the football activist got in between the poles and never left. “I was in Primary 6, and we had a football match I was asked to replace the main goalkeeper; Ayinde (I will never forget that name) who did not turn up to school for whatever reason. The match ended goalless and that was my very first experience. I have never been a football person, I am more of a showbiz person, but God led me to football”

From here he was unstoppable with Charles mentorship and a childhood dream of becoming a great goalkeeper like his namesake Emmanuel Okala of Green Eagles.

Mentor

“First, Charles inspired me to be a goalkeeper. But the great man, who inspired me to be a great goalkeeper, is Emmanuel Okala. My father was a fanatic of Okala. He would tune the television or radio to watch him and you dare not disturb. I was amazed to see how good Okala was, Nigerians loved him, and I told myself that I want to be like him, I want to be on TV. I was following him religiously. I started walking like Okala. Till today, he remains an inspiration. I also looked up to Andrew Aikhomogbe.”

Professional football

In 1989/1990, Babayaro decided to take his luck a notch higher by joining amateur club side, Nigerian Agricultural Corporative Bank (NACB) inspired by Alhaji Sani Kontagora, the owner of his youth club. “He loved my goalkeeping. He took me to see the head of the NACB, Professor Ajakaiye. I was employed immediately, even before going on the field. I was earning 200 naira. I was very rich and within a short while I proved my worth. NACB was my first professional club. It was not my decision, but the will of God. It was good for me, as I was leaving the ghetto and doing great things.”

That move proved decisive for his football career. He moved quickly to bigger things, Kaduna Islanders and the biggest professional club in nearby Plateau state, Plateau United. “My two mentors in football, Stephen Musa and Patrick Mancha, were in Plateau United. They just told me to get on a flight and come to Plateau United in Jos. Plateau United is not just any football team. It is one of the top clubs in Nigeria, with a lot of history.  Some of the best footballers this country has produced played for Plateau United. That time you have most of the domestic players playing for the Super Eagles, so, week in week out, you are rubbing shoulders with the best footballers in the country. That helps you get better.”

Olympic team

Babayaro soon became the choice number one in Plateau United and did enough to attract the Nigeria Olympic team going to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. “Before I joined the Olympic team don’t forget that I had played at the U-17 and U-20 national teams so it’s like a progression. We had a great tournament and came back with the football goal medal. It was a great moment and the whole world celebrated Nigeria.”

Post Olympics

“After the Olympics, I attended one more football trial with Besiktas in Turkey. Daniel Amokachi was there and I did very well. When goalkeepers were being appraised at the end of the season, my name came up, and I was just on trial. It was purported at that time that they wanted to sign me but they had exceed the quota of signing three foreign players, and so the only way they could sign me was if I would take up a citizenship. Then I learnt that if I did that, I would have to go to the military. I was scared. I am not a military person.

“I was there for about a year, and then I had to leave and come back.  I did some appraisal, and in the process, I tried to stage a comeback in 2000. I got call-up to the Super Eagles, and made the team that played against Catalonia in Spain. I tried to resurrect the footballing in me, but there was this thing going on in my head. I am an activist, and the system was not really working and it got to the point you had to check yourself, maybe football was just to get a platform.

“So I went into coaching, and I found out that every player I discovered and trained gets into the Super Eagles within six months; Greg Etafia, Abdul Isa, Ibrahim Pius, and Victor Babayaro. I had to re-access myself. Maybe I was not meant to be the king, but kingmaker. In 2001/2002, I decided to follow music and became an administrator to train young ones.”

Football administration

Football administration for Babayaro started in 2006, when he founded his own team Pioneers FC. He ran the club well to attract the Kaduna state government that handed him Kaduna United, which he tinkered from 2016 to 2018. “I want to believe that I set a standard. I was able to show that I am way above my time. I ran it for two years without collecting a dime. I ran it as a private entity. We raised every kobo spent in the club. We sourced for them. The stadium the government gave over to us, in all sense of modesty, was home to open defecation, but we turned it to one of the best stadiums in the country.

“I remember when Kashimawo Laloko came to the stadium; he was running the Pepsi Academy. He did not believe what he saw, until he went outside to see the adjourning building to the stadium. He asked who transformed the stadium. They mentioned my name, and he sent for me and he laid his hand on me and blessed me.”

Under Babayaro, Kaduna United began to produce it own water for commercial purpose. “Before my arrival, children could just pay N500 to play football in the pitch, but in one month, we had people paying N100, 000. We even had a client that was paying N1.5 million to use the stadium at weekends for a year. We were able to recruit young players; we had a grassroots tournament where the teams played at the stadium at night. We sold our own water, we were generating our income. We did that for two solid years, and in those two years, we were never relegated.

“I am someone who practices what I preach. I have always believed that football must be seen as a business before it can go forward in this country, so when it was my turn to handle a team, I could not have it any other way. I would not go to government to collect money and put in my pocket.”

Football growth

Asked to evaluate football growth in Nigeria, Babayaro gave a damning verdict. “From five to ten years ago, we have been growing at a snail pace of about 20% to 30%. The last five years has been retrogressive. Today, grassroots is almost non-existent, Nigerian youths are the most trafficked in the whole world in the name of football. The only reason you see children leave like that is because they see no hope in their country. It has been retrogressive in the last five years. Infrastructure and administration is epileptic. The only thing seen to be functioning is the Super Eagles. The reason is simply because we are dependent on players who are trained in other climes and by foreigners, because our league is dead.  That is the poor state of our football right now.”

Corruption in football

Noted for his outspokenness in football circle, the activist said colossal corruption is going on in Nigerian football and depriving the young people from humble background the opportunity to realise their dreams and taking their family out of the ghetto.

“There is a reason football is called the beautiful game. It brings hope, peace, and laughter. It changes lives; it transforms people, if it is not working the opposite is the case. So, in my fight against corruption in Nigerian football, I hope to achieve stability. I want a situation where everyone has equal opportunities, and they happen if we have good infrastructure.

“If our football is doing well, it will contribute to our GDP. Football is the biggest business in the UK, Europe, Argentina, etc. These are countries Nigeria goes to borrow, lend and seek handouts, and Nigeria has a lot of football talents.

“Nothing is being done to improve our diamonds, we are just leaving them to die for nothing and I am not going to let that happen. I am a product of the grassroots and the ghetto, and it took the grace of God for me to survive, so it was important to look back and see how to save my brothers and children

“They say the only necessary tool evil needs to thrive are for good people to do nothing. I am not going to do that. I have a philosophy that you are only as comfortable as the people around you. If my brothers and sisters around me are dying and uncomfortable, then I am not comfortable. I will not be until the struggle is won to the glory of God. Fighting for the soul of your country is worth it. We are still on it, it’s not uhuru yet but we are sure of victory.”

So what must change for Football to be run professionally? Babayaro answered: “Football administration has to have accountability and creatively.  This is not the case today in Nigeria. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will hold an AGM without an audited account. That is how much of a sham the federation is today. There is no transparency and accountability.  They are not even creative in the way they run things. Those in the administration are just self-savvy, at the detriment of youths. If football is run professionally, Nigeria as a nation should be able to tap from football, not for football to be part of Nigeria’s problem.”

VINTAGE BABAYARO

ON DOSU JOSEPH 

Dosu Joseph and I have a very mutual respect for one another. Our relationship is great, and it is becoming greater over the years as we grow older. From that moment in the USA till today, we understand each other, I know what he wants and he knows what I want.

ON CORRUPTION IN FOOTBALL

A lot is happening in our country right now. We Have youth restiveness, kidnapping, terrorism; very recently, we have bandits. All these are a result of a very bad system.  Football is the most followed sport in the country today. If we gather all these people together, you will see that most of them would have been footballers.

ON FOOTBALL POTENTIAL

I cry a lot of times when I hear Nigerians talking about oil, when we have a better and stronger industry which is football. Nigeria should not be an exception to the wealth of football.

IF NOT FOOTBALL

I am exactly what I am right now; a philanthropist, a humanitarian, an activist, and an entertainer. I am what I would have been if I was not playing.

UNWINDING

I unwind by hanging out with my family. That is usually the best time for me. I am also creative whenever I unwind. I get to think of how to inspire the world. Whenever I  pass knowledge to youngsters, I unwind. I pass knowledge and mould lives. I teach them how to confront issues of life. I was big in parties when I was much younger, but growing up now, I am beginning to discover myself.

PHILOSOPHY

Basically, I live by three philosophies. First is to seek God’s face in all that you do so that you may have peace, second, to thyself be true, and the third will be, you are only as comfortable as the people around you.

Taiwo Alimi

 

As a first born and first boy in a humble family of nine children, Comrade Paul Egonu would have ended up in the farm or a community teacher if martial art had not come found him.

Coming from the volatile south-south region of Nigeria, Egonu, as a boy, was filled with a natural image of impacting positively in his community and country at large, from infancy. That helped shape his young mind to indulge in martial art or any other sport that would help him to develop his life saving philosophy. Egono is today the President of Muaythai (Thai Boxing) Federation of Nigeria (MFN).

Though he would have taken to football or table tennis like many Nigerian boys, Egonu chose combat sport. He related how posterity led him to it: “I tried football and table tennis and opted for combat sport because I see it is a better sport for me. In early 1996, I became a member of Karate club in Port Harcourt. Along the line, been someone that has passion for karate, I see that karate is part of sport, though at the initial time I did not intend going into it as a sport. I just wanted to build myself up. Later on I began to see the need to advance my career in martial art as a part of sport. I went on to compete in karate and metamorphosed into kickboxing and from kickboxing to muaythai (Thai boxing). In 2002 I was part of the first muaythai demonstration in Edo state.”

His passion grew for muaythai and not even his parents could stop him. “In my early time my parents were not in support of it but I did not mind I forge ahead.  What really helped me them was that I attend school outside my home so sometimes they don’t know when I’m in extra moral lessons and when I’m in karate class. So, along the line events began to unfold and they have no option than to let go. Before they would realize I’ve already gone far. I’ve developed great passion for the game and they had no option than to allow me be.”

From an athlete, Egonu has grown in rank and file to becoming the vice president of Rivers State Karate club and president of Muaythai Federation of Nigeria and he takes delight in speaking of muaythai otherwise known as Thai Boxing with glee.

“Muaythai is not really new in Nigeria. As far back as Imo 98 National Sport Festival, it has been mentioned. I participated in the first muaythai demonstration in Edo 2002, Abuja 2004, and Gateway games in 2006. We have been appearing but administratively, muaythai is yet to appear on medal table and that has kept muaythai in the back.”

Muaythai is different from other sports based on its philosophy and the tradition part of it. That is what singled it out of other sports. There is the musical and ritual aspect of the sport which is not in other sport. Muaythai is built upon five pillars of respect, honour, fair play, excellence, and the tradition. It is the traditional part of the game that differentiates is from others; the drum, the bell that accompanied the sport to boost the morale of the fighters. All these things singled muaythai out.”

While not happy with the way Nigeria governments and those in authority take sports with a pinch of salt, he believed that sports can be useful in stemming the rising rage of crime in every facets of the country.

“We look at sport as a secondary career in our society, or a career that should not be taken serious. But it is not like that, sport changes the world. We are not putting as much effort that we ought to put into sport because we think that it is a game for the less priviledge ones which is not supposed to be. Sport as I see it is one of the tools that unites the world, one of the tools that integrates a nation, it integrates people quickly. I am convinced that even here in Nigeria, the National Sports Festival was conceived to unite all parts of Nigeria and the world, after the civil war and as I research further I see that the Commonwealth games are used to unite the Commonwealth nations. Sports in Nigeria are not taken serious and that is why it is not faring well. It is time for us to begin to change our orientation towards that. Let’s use sport to better our people, our states and our nation. Even to better our world. We need to add efforts to ensure we utilize the full potential of sports in our country.

“We look down on sport in Nigeria. Now I will give you an instance. A good number of those that commits crime in this country are in the age of 15 and 32 years bracket. These are the active group in the world of sport. So, if I can be able to use sport to engage this set of people, diverting their attention from the things that would lead to violence, I believe I have achieved my vision.  And beginning from this little beginning in the long run I might be able to use sport to change my world. This has been my philosophy.”

Few administrators that have spoken up in defense of Nigerian born Bahrain quarter miler Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu (now known as Salwa Eid Naser); facing a two year ban months after breaking the 400m record in Doha. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said Naser was under scrutiny for missing three drug-testing cases.

“It’s not that I’m speaking up for her but I’m speaking as an athlete. An athlete will be participating in a world reknown competition and after nine months a group will come up with a fact that the person did not meet up with a requirement. After nine months. And the medal would be retrieved back. My questions are who organized the tournaments? Who are the officials? Who does the screening? And what qualification prompted her to participate in the championship. Those are the things that agitated my mind even before we come to the colours of her skin and where she’s coming from.

“It’s painful that an athlete  will take part a competition, perform exceptionally well and months later he or she will be called back and the medal and honour retrieved from her/him. It is a letdown.

“We in Nigeria and Africa need to begin to stand up for this; I don’t think a thing like this will happen in the United States or Europe. Why do we allow it? I don’t know. That is why I am speaking out and the better we begin to speak up for ourselves as a people and as a country the better for us. It is not just Salwa alone, it has happened to other African athletes from Kenya. When you are been given this kind of ban, you cannot take part in the Olympics and other big tournaments,” added Egonu.

 

SHORT AND SHARP WITH EGONU

 

MENTOR  

I have only one and he is popularly known. Anybody in the game of martial art; kungful, boxing, taekwondo, karate or muaythai, must know this person. His name is Kingsley Yakow David popularly known as Grandmaster. While growing up as a child I look up to him and he has been my mentor all these years. There is none beside him and till today I still look up to him.

PHILOSOPHY  

My philosophy is to see that my environment is full of good life driving mechanism; good life fulfillment and a peaceful one. I want to go to bed in the night with two eyes closed. But I cannot do it alone. That is where the next one comes in: philosophy of integration and togetherness. If we work together in the same faith and same vision, we will achieve much. That is why I chose this path of living that says; start it in micro group and in the long run it will saturate the world. Your little beginning can make a great impact. That is the reason why I have chosen this part of life to see how I can use sport to actualize my vision of changing my family, changing my community to change my country and in extension my world.

NIGERIAN ATHLETES AND CORONAVIRUS

The issue of coronavirus has affected so many things especially sports. Many world tournaments have been postponed while some have been cancelled out rightly. So, it has affected athletes and deprived them from what they love doing and their daily living and financial benefit from sporting activities. In as much as I would like to thank the sport minister for giving a relief to many athletes, many of them are still facing challenges to meet up with life expectation. However, my advice is that athletes should continue to keep fate and hope that one day this pandemic issue will come to pass and sporting activities will resume fully. As administrators too we should keep fate and urge our athletes to keep training and keep fit and one day all this will come to pass.

By Fred Edoreh

Recently, the League Management Company engaged club owners for solutions to steer the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), post COVID-19 lockdown, but it was greeted with the familiar  misinformation by people who wanted a return to the old order of the Nigeria Football League Limited (NFLL).

They suggested that the only way to advance the NPFL is a return to the NFLL deals that left the league in squalor until the League Management Company (LMC) came to rescue it.

Inimically praying for the failure of the current broadcast and commercialization partnership with NEXT Digital TV and even calling on club owners “to rise up” against the LMC, they conveniently hid the fact that the old Nigeria Football League Limited (NFLL) ran a transaction in which the league broadcaster paid $5.4m per season to a middleman who only pinched N150m (barely $1m at the time) to the league and its 20 clubs and kept $4.4m as profit.

At a point, the league could no longer fulfil its obligations, including indemnities for match officials, as it revolved in indebtedness to the agent which lent it money just to keep it afloat to enable collection of new season payment from which the old season debts were further deducted from its bare bones.

Even before the first tenure of the TV deal was due, the NFLL jumped to knot the niggardly arrangement till 2022 and moved to further expand the rapacity by considering to award the title sponsorship of the league to same middleman for far lower than what was actually asked of a telecommunications company on pitch.

Ironically, because of the possible private benefits its leaders enjoyed from the skews, the tussle for succession became so feisty that the protracted multiple disputes in several courts boomeranged with a judicial declaration that the NFLL was not incorporated correctly, thus unknown to law and therefore an illegal body.

That declaration led the NFF, the clubs and the sports ministry to seek a different legitimate vehicle to save the league. Thus was the League Management Company Limited (LMC) birthed as a non-profit organisation acting in the interest of the participating clubs in the NPFL and also the NFF as is the case with the FA Premier League Limited in the UK and various European countries?

The LMC came into being in 2013 and quickly salvaged the league from the obnoxious transactions of the NFLL by eliminating the middle man and negotiating directly with the league broadcaster to free up the full value of the rights which it raised to USD $8m per season (paid directly to the league), with effect from 2015, but with advance payments to keep the league afloat while it smartly left the broadcaster to fulfil its old contract to avoid encumbering the league with disruptive legal entanglements.

Still, some hirelings with false claims as players’ representatives wrote to threaten the broadcaster with legal actions if it discarded the old deal for the new one. The broadcaster did not bulge and thus followed a staccato of sponsored litigations and petitions.

Over seven different cases with one even at the Supreme Court are still pending while about twenty others have failed or been dismissed by the courts. The renewed attack on the LMC/NEXT TV deal is therefore not a surprise.

Despite the onslaughts, the LMC has resiliently steered the league away from the ugly past in which clubs were tasked to pay participation and players’ registration fees, insurance, provide match balls, and pay match indemnities and other charges.

Now, the clubs register at no cost and receive various pay outs and bonuses depending on inflow of revenue while the LMC provides insurance, match day branding, official match balls, media presence, indemnities and various other organisational costs.

This is in addition to ensuring the league is operated on the foundation of a world class Rule Book and framework on club licensing regulations and seamless enforcement and adjudication processes, besides the introduction of Domestic Transfer matching System – DTMS in partnership with FIFA (the first league in Africa to do so) which optimized the transfer system, among several other innovative strategies to move the league forward.

As it strengthened the broadcast, corporate trust, transparent distribution of funds to clubs and heightened match day experiences to create a boom in match attendance and social media following, Nigerians witnessed and still testify to that revival which reverberated in improved and impressive spectatorships in various centres, from Enugu to Kano, Lagos, Aba, Bauchi, Owerri, Ibadan, Akure and others.

That there has been a lull in the 2018 and 2019 NPFL seasons in terms of pay-outs to clubs was because the broadcast partner withdrew, not because the LMC dropped the ball but because of exogenous factors like high cost of production logistics and low advertising patronage, not excluding the drop in the value of Naira-To-Dollar and the flux of competitive new technology platforms not distinctly captured in the contract.

Challenged to seek alternative strategies to produce the league contents for TV, the LMC found no indigenous Nigerian company with the technical and financial capacity to step in. Even the attempt to partner the national network to fill in the gap failed due to the sorry fact that, for years, there was no investment to boost its capacity.

So, through the years, our league has been groping with handicap in the intense, pitiless competition. Even when the league had TV partners, only one or two matches were transmitted live per match day whereas, for the league to optimise revenue, all ten matches should be on TV.

It has been estimated that Nigeria loses over $200m annually to the foreign leagues through fans consumption of their products and endorsements by local brands.

While, for example, the CAF Champions League rakes in only about $30m annually, Africa should be concerned that the UEFA Champions League taps over €300m from the region alone. With Nigeria as their premium market, the top foreign clubs harvest even more.

Understanding the trend, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, instructively initiated a review of the National Broadcast Code to push advertising and sponsorship support for domestic sports. Even at that, the products have to be available in the right quality, reason why he is also seeking funds to re-equip the Nigeria Television Authority to be able to produce quality, internationally marketable contents and buy rights on sports and entertainment properties to retain large audience, attract advertisements and sponsorships and deliver profit for steady innovations and expansion.

The football family in Nigeria, in a move championed by the LMC leadership has severally taken this message to the Federal Government Economic Management Team (EMT), Nigeria Economic Summit Group, and the Central Bank, the Sovereign National Wealth Fund, the organised private sector and even foreign investors through a deliberate program code named “Football Means More”.

“Football Means More” is a comprehensive blue print of the LMC outlining strategies for legislation, investment, infrastructure, promotion, protection and general support required to jumpstart and situate domestic football as a key contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Nigerian Economy as obtained in other jurisdictions, articulating the roles of various stakeholders in the process and identifying the potentials and outcomes for partners and investors.

Many stakeholders in Nigerian football are understandably anxious to see the advancement of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), not only for national pride and the pleasure of sporting entertainment but as well for the economic opportunities it contributes to nation building.

Just as debates about the effectiveness of players, coaches and tactics in teams often get emotive with almost every fan claiming expertise in coaching, so too do conversations about strategies for the enhancement of the fortunes of the league become animated with mixtures of facts, knowledge and, sometimes, pitiable ignorance.

Faced with the drawbacks in the domestic business and infrastructural architecture and building practically from ground zero, the LMC has kept focus and searching even beyond our shores for solutions on re-engineering an enduring foundation for the production, commercialization and redirection of the competitiveness of the NPFL in the global football economy, for now and the future.

After the exit of the former league broadcaster, the LMC rallied to secure an advanced engagement with FOX Network Group whose top delegation subsequently met with representatives of Nigerian big corporates, the leaderships of the NFF, LMC and club owners, in a confidential breakfast meeting at Eko Hotel in March 2018, to unveil its partnership plans towards a complete turnaround of the NPFL and Nigeria’s football within the same framework it did with Netherlands Eredivisie.

Unfortunately, the political attacks on the NFF after the 2018 World Cup and the toxic climate that was generated against the nation’s entire football structure scared them away and destroyed the opportunity.

Undaunted, the LMC kept pushing and finally struck the current partnership with NEXT TV Digital to produce the league matches, highlights and magazine shows. NEXT will also pay for broadcast on OTT while both parties will market the products to willing mobile, terrestrial and cable television concerns to ensure the widest distribution of the league contents as well as activate various social media and digital marketing platforms to reach and earn revenue from Nigerian and global audience.

The plan also includes establishing NPFL TV, a channel to drive the distribution and commercialization of NPFL contents.

Interestingly, though NEXT TV has not fully rolled out, it has made financial commitments to the LMC and it is with that sign-up fund, revenue from other existing partnerships and savings from the prudent management of previous sponsorship funds that it has sustained the league deprived of its broadcast revenue.

In this digital age, despite the need to grow physical match attendance, much of league spectatorship and revenue streams would be through personal electronic devices and with over 170 million mobile phones in Nigeria and the league also exposed to audiences beyond our borders, the OTT presents a huge new market for the future.

A match with say 30,000 stadium spectators can as well have a home and digital audience of over one million. If we have just 500,000 subscribers from even just home fans and the Diaspora at $5 per month for full subscriptions, just the OTT can deliver revenue in excess of $30m a year.

In pursuit of expanded commercial framework, the LMC, with the endorsement of the NPFL clubs, reviewed its marketing strategy since 2015 and opted to jettison the title sponsorship system, which had been from 2006 to the advent of the LMC in 2013, in preference for multiple sponsorship segment model based on industry differentiation.

It is on this backdrop that it signed with Star (NB PLC), OCP, 1XBET and others, and the activation of the on-going broadcast and re-commercialization process is expected to attract and drive in other elite sponsors into the NPFL at the right value.

It is therefore incredulous that those who should understand the trend are kicking over the absence of a title sponsor when the EPL adopted the same model, eliminating title sponsorship driving by multiple sponsors since 2016 (now no more Barclays League but English Premier League) which goes to validate the decision of the LMC.

No doubt, the outlook and performance of the clubs leave so much to be desired but, reasonably, what is needed in the circumstance is consensus building for collective push towards the right new direction.

It is for this reason the LMC introduced the program code named “Beyond the Three Points” so as to keep engaging and reminding the clubs of the work that needs to be done outside just playing football so as to create the right environment for the business of club football to thrive.

For instance, with perhaps Nigeria’s most successful club, Enyimba, having a social media community of about 120,000 to rank 63rd in Africa, compared to Al Ahli’s 27m and Zamalek’s 12m, the clubs should understand that they need to up their presence and engagement in the social media market, especially seeing how some of the top European clubs earn millions of Euro per annum from various social media and digital formats.

Thankfully, the various state governments which promote majority of the clubs now understand the need for a re-focus on commercialization and have committed to opening up their holdings for partnerships with possible equity on facilities while the LMC has signed an MOU with NASD OTC Exchange to assist them in the process.

It is as part of the drive that the LMC had to take Nigerian club managers to on-the-spot training in Spain and the Lagos Business School among other several capacity developments training, to acquaint them first hand with the critical rudiments of running clubs as business.

With work in progress, the LMC has also not neglected improving the technical capacity of the game. The LMC, through its partnership with the Spanish Football League, continues to organize annual advanced training clinics for coaches in various tiers of the league with over 500 coaches trained and certified over the last 3 years.

There is also a specific elite coaching programme, through its partnership with Star (NB PLC), in which coaches from top European clubs come to interact with those of the 20 NPFL clubs on the update of skills and tactics.

The LMC has also maintained the same effort to support talent development through its NPFL Futures programme for club youth teams, notwithstanding that it is actually the business of individual clubs to invest on their Feeder Teams as a strategy to reduce expenditure on signing new players from outside their communities and also to earn revenue through players transfer.

So much said, it is left for stakeholders in the Nigerian football league to lock hands together and pull in the same direction on which basis success will be guaranteed or chose to pull the institutions and their leaderships down for narrow interests.

Golden boy Kelechi Nwakali has opened up on his new deal with Spanish club side SD Huesca and how he parted way with Arsenal. He spoke with Taiwo Alimi.

 

Fresh from leading the Nigeria U-17 team (Golden Eaglets) to winning the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup, Kelechi Nwakali got the attention English Premier League giant, Arsenal that wasted no time in snapping him up.

Nwakali had emerged the MVP of the championship as he captained and marshalled the Nigerian team from the midfield to beat Mali 2-0 in the final game played at Vina del Mar stadium in Chile. Yet, the championship paraded some of the brightest names that have taken the stage by storm. Some of them are Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Lee Seung-woo.

The 21-year old has gone on to captain the Nigeria U-20 squad, and recently the U-23 team.

Naturally, after  winning  the Golden Ball award  as a teenager, there was plenty of hype behind the youngster when he signed for Arsenal a few months later but that excitement was cut short when he was sent out on loan.

But after three and a half years, a series of loans away from the Emirates and no appearances for the Gunners’ first team, Nwakali has sought a permanent deal with Spanish outfit SD Huesca.

He talked about his time with his dream club-Arsenal and why he finally parted  way with the famous London club .

“Well! What happened between Arsenal and I was a decision I had to make,” explainedNwakali who would celebrate his 21st anniversaryon 5th June.

“Though, it was a tough decision for me, all the same I needed to get my career back on track because staying in Arsenal and going on loan and everything is frustrating.

“I can’t stay in the club. I’ve been going on loan. I was not settled. I needed a place to settle down and call my own, a home. That is very important for a player. “Though, before I left Arsenal I still have two-year contract with them but I just needed to go and settle down so I can concentrate and make an impact. “Hopefully, in the future I hope we can reconnect again. If that will happen, then it will be a dream come true.

“Truth is it is my heart desire to play for Arsenal but only God knows the next step for me. If it happens, fine, if doesn’t, I just need to move on.”

The loan spell from 2016 to clubs like MVV Maastricht and VVV Venlo in the Dutch league and FC Porto in the Portuguese Primiera Liga,he said affected his concentration: “Going on loan to three different clubs helped me make this decision to move out of Arsenal. I need that concentration that a permanent team will give me.

“There is a way that loan deal affects you, especially if your heart is in the parent team. I could not concentrate properly. At the same time I have to impress Arsenal. But, now I have to focus on one club and my game. That will help me to focus and build more on my game.”

Nwakali, however, described the permanent deal with SD Huesca as a breath of fresh life and explained thus: “My move to SD Huesca to be honest is because like I said earlier, I needed a permanent club where I will feel at home.

“A place I can call home. I would have loved to play and stay at Arsenal, but I’m tired of going on loan every season. I need a home and since I did not have a work permit to play in England, I just needed to move on.

“Get a place to call mine. When the SD Huesca deal came up, I checked and realised that they were in La liga before they were relegated. So, I told myself that this would be a great opportunity to play for them and help them in any way I can.

“Even, if the team did not get back into first flight action, I can get to e a part of a project. I checked that they have a great team and with their standing right now-they are fourth on the table and the top two teams are topping with six points. So, there is a tendency for the team to get promoted.

“The deal was even done the last day of the transfer window, they didn’t want me to leave but at the same time I was giving them reasons why I should leave Arsenal.

He added: “Staying in England and not playing, going on loan, I went on loan three times. Its better I go to a place where I can settle instead of going to a place where after one year I leave. It was difficult moving around, from Holland and then Portugal.

“Even if it’s going to take time, I’ll work it out; I still have age on my side.Arsenal have been my dream team, but one thing is sure, is not late yet, the aim is to just go there and get more playing time because there is a buy-back option in the contract.

“Well, the truth is that football is all about growing and I believe everyone wants to play along with top players, but like I said earlier, I just want to go here and make my mark and to get back on the track.”

He is also optimistic that he would do well in Huesca. “When I came to Spain, I started training with the team and I was beginning to understand the way they play and getting into the main thing, when the coronavirus pandemic struck. I’m close to start playing from the team. Once we get back to the pitch, I know I would get my opportunity and I just have to keep working and believing.”

He would also be reconnecting with his U17 teammate, Samuel Chukwueze, who plays for Villarreal.

“Reuniting with some Nigerian players in Spain is great. Players like Samuel (Chukwueze) Omeruo and all of them. But for the pandemic, I’ve not been able to meet with them or hang out but at the same time I believe that when the season starts again, we would be able to do all that. We have been keeping in touch, though.”

Nwakali cherishes playing for his country and he has had a rear privilege of captaining three Nigerian squads; U17, U20 and recently the U-23.

“It felt good to captain the Nigeria Olympic team. I captained the Nigeria U17, the U20 and now the U23, feels good. However, I must state correctly that I was the assistant captain but when we went to Egypt the captain did not make the first game and so I captained the first game.

“It was good though to know that you have captained from U17 to U23. It means that coaches and people see something good in me. I believe that it would have been a great opportunity if we had made it to the Olympics, but it was not to be,” he said.

Nigeria will be missing out in the football event of the Olympics, though.

He said:” Going to the Olympics would have been a dream come true. This is based on the knowledge that I played in the U17, U20 and U23, it would have been like a graduation for progress playing in all the national teams before Super Eagles. But, it did not happen, but I am keeping my head up and keep working.

“Sadly, this is my last opportunity to play in the U23 because I can’t play in that level again. For me to play U23 again, I would have to play as one of the overage players. I wish the next set of players luck and hope that Nigeria will be back at the Olympics.”

So, how has he been coping with the lockdown in Spain?

“I’ve been training at home because there is an App used to call every member of the team. There is a team program that has been circulated and we do o our own. We also have a video program that the coaches can see us and monitor us as we keep ourselves fit and what we are doing.So, we are able to keep fit.”

 

 

 

Our Reporter

Tammy Abraham has outlined his everyday activity as the lockdown continues although he has admitted cooking food has not been taking up any of his time. The Chelsea centre-forward appeared on the BBC’s Football Focus programme, detailed how he is remaining active as well as describing his downtime, and he gave his opinion on a well-known African food dish; Jollof rice.

On how he is and how he has been spending time, Abraham said: “I’m good. I’ve just been chilling – legs up, laid back and just been playing PlayStation all day – mixing it up playing FIFA, Call of Duty and Fortnite. I have come so close at winning on War Zone but I haven’t yet.”

He chose Fikayo Tomori as the team-mate he would most like to spend quarantine with due to their shared enthusiasm for playing Monopoly. There does however need to be greater physical activity than that from Abraham to maintain fitness.

Read Also: ‘Jollof Rice War, marketing strategy to showcase Africa’

“We have a schedule from the club,” he confirmed. “You can mix it up if you really want to. It is going for a run, different types of run, upper-body sessions, lower-body sessions.

“I keep active and any time I have the chance to kick a ball around the house I always take advantage of that and it has been good I have been staying active and fit.”

But when it comes to nutrition, he had an admission to make.

“My sister or my mum or dad cook for me, I am lucky to have them in the house and not have to do it myself.”

Asked to choose between the Nigerian and Ghanaian versions of jollof rice and having been qualified to play for Nigeria through his father before committing his international future to England, his choice was of little surprise.

“Can I cook jollof? Absolutely not but my mum can, so probably the meal I have had most in quarantine has been jollof rice.

“The Nigeria version is my choice to be honest. The Ghanaian one is a little bit more spicy but it is about the flavours, not just about the spice, how it sits in your mouth, how it digests into your stomach.”

His transfer to Saudi League side Aladalah Club may have brought to an end his six-month ‘lockdown’ at Hapoel Be’er Sheva of Israel, but Super Eagles midfielder John Ogu, is not happy about the pandemic shutdown that has cut short his comeback bid.

Super excited to have teamed up with the Saudi team in January market on free transfer, Ogu said he was just beginning to enjoy competitive action again when the novel COVID-19 struck, leading to a complete lockdown in most leagues of the world.

Ogu made his debut appearance for Aladalah against Al Ittihad in a goalless draw and followed up with another on February 22, a score draw against Adha.

So far, Aladalah has played five matches and secured five draws before the lockdown was imposed and all league matches stopped.

“I’m optimistic that the season will pick up for us but right now we have to deal with this pandemic that has made a mess of football in the world,” said Ogu.

He has joined thousands of players all over the world to observe the stay at home order. “It is very strict here (Saudi Arabia) and no one is toying with it.”

Though bored of staying in-door, and missing his family who are in Nigeria plus the game of football badly, he is of the opinion that staying at home is the best way to contain the coronavirus.

Last week, Ogu, returned home with another Saudi based Super Eagles top player, Ahmed Musa, and took to the social media to celebrate reunion with his family. “Thank God for journey mercies. Y’all stay home.”

He, however, has kind words for medical staff that are in the forefront of the battle against COVID-19. To drive home his point he twitted: “God bless all the medical staff all over the world.”

Not done with his ‘lockdown’ story, Ogu said it was a most trying period of his career.

The midfielder had declined a fresh contract at the expiration of his four-year deal with Hapoel.  He felt he deserved more.

“The contract I was given was too little and my agent and I decided to look elsewhere. I had to wait for six months to get a suitable contract coming from Saudi. I wasn’t easy to watch others play while you watch from the stand but I remained positive that I have what it takes to do well in bigger clubs in Europe.”

Though his sight was set for top European clubs in Germany and Spain the deal from Aladalah was good enough to steer him off his course.

He said of the Israeli debacle in a recent interview with BBC: “It’s been a long, tough and crazy six months, but I want to quickly put it all behind me by getting involved with Aladalah immediately. To watch others actively playing on television at the start of the season was tough and now I have a lot of catching up to do personally on the football pitch.

“But I’m confident in my ability and confident that my body is ready for the battles and vigorous games to come.”

Ogu’s confidence stems from a superlative 190 appearances and 18 goals for Hapoel while helping them to three Israeli Premier League titles, two Super Cups and the Toto cup in 2017 all within four years.

“I felt I have proved myself and deserve a better contract than they gave me. If I don’t play myself up, I don’t know who will?

Before playing for Hapoel, Ogu had short stops at Slovenia, Spain and Portugal from 2010 to 2014.

Ogu is positive he would do well in Aladalah and help lift the club’s position. “I trust in my ability and working hard too to make a difference.”

Meanwhile, Ogu in  this conversation with TAIWO ALIMI,  spoke more on growing up, people that have inspired him and his plan for Aladalah Club.

Formative years

Like every other footballer, especially in this part of the world, I started from the street. I imbibed football passion from the street. We would move from our street to the next and to far ones while playing football and from there the passion just grew. God blessed me with a talent that could not be hidden and I have to show it to the whole world.

Youth career

It was at Starlet FC that I learnt all I needed to know about football as a teenager. It was here that I learnt the basis of football, how to kick the ball and a lot of other things that I needed to know as a kid. There are two coaches that I would never forget; Coach Atta, who hails from Calabar, the South South of the country, taught me the rudiment of the game while Coach Baresi (not real name) taught me that how to be disciplined and respect other players.

We used to go to competitions where we played other teams and that helped me a lot. It was there that I met an ex-international who offered to help me go abroad. I spent some months in his camp and from there they arranged for me to travel to Europe and that is how I started my professional career. From there I moved to Portugal and was in Portugal for three seasons before I moved to Israel where I am today.

Parental support

To be honest, it wasn’t difficult to convince my parents to allow me go out play football. My dad and mom supported me fully and not once did they stop me from exhibiting this God given gift. But, again I knew this is what I wanted to do in my life right from my young age and all I needed to do was to know how badly I needed to do it. I’m lucky to have parents that gave me free hand and supported me. It is not all parents that do that but mine gave me more than 100 per cent support and thanks to them for it.

Israel

Israel was good for me because I was there when the national call up came for me. That I made the World cup list is because of my consistency in the Israeli League. I could have stayed back there if I was given a good contract at the expiration of the first one because I had a great time there. I played over 180 games and scored about 18 goals. At first it was rough but when we picked up we went right to the top. I won many laurels there too. But the contract I was given was too little and my agent and I decided to look elsewhere. I had to wait for six months to get a suitable contract coming from Saudi. I wasn’t easy but I am positive that I have what it takes to do well in bigger clubs in Europe.

Champions League 

I tasted Champions League action in Hapoel because we won the league back to back. It is a great experience when you play against top teams from different countries. On both occasion we dropped to the Europa League and did well. It can be better, though. Europe is tough and there are many big clubs but it is high opener for me.

Nwankwo Kanu

One player that has remained an inspiration for me from childhood till now is Kanu Nwankwo. It was because of him that many Nigerians became fans of Arsenal and I happen to be one of them. I’ve always look forward to playing for them but our ways have not met. Aside from Kanu, Thierry Henry is another player that inspired me. I’ve seen many videos of these players to gain an insight into their games. Kanu Nwankwo also played his part but Henry was everything for Arsenal while Kanu was one of the reasons I started watching Arsenal.

Sunny side

I watch football and highlight of games whenever I want to relax. Football is my life and even when I’m relaxing I’m watching football. I watch football a lot. I watch past games and the best way for me to relax is to watch football. When I am tired I slot in a football tape and I feel energised. Football is it for me. I also like basketball.

I used to see myself as a banker. But football just killed everything. If I wasn’t playing football I probably would see myself as a manager of a big bank in Nigeria.

Nigerian league

I did not play in the Nigerian league before going abroad. But I would like to experience it before I end my career. I will come back home to play for a team in Nigeria. I think it is high time that we promoted our league. If you watch Brazilian players, they go back to their home country at a point in their career and play there.

It is a way to give back and grow the league. I would rather come back to Nigeria to play than to play abroad without getting paid. This is the time to appeal to our ex-players to give back and help grow the league in Nigeria. That would help bring back the sponsor and the fans into our stadium. I’m 100 per cent sure that I will come back to play in Nigeria.

Toughest team and player ever played

I’ve played a lot of players. When I am on the field I see every opponent as good and so I don’t underrate them. I’ve played against brilliant players such as Xavi and Pirlo and I respect them. But football is a team play and therefore I play for my team members and they play for me too.

Career moments

It must be winning my first professional title in Israel and wining it the following year again. The back to back thing simply freaks me out. I do no imagine that I would achieve this so soon in my career. I am really happy to play in Israel. Winning the league shield back to back is a special one for me.

Retirement plan

I would love to coach one day but it is still a long time to come. It is something for the future. In five, six years, maybe I would begin to look into that. But what I would really like to do is football management. That is what I have passion for. I see myself like a director of a club.