A former Rangers International FC of Enugu and Green Eagles winger, Emeka Akabueze, says the current players’ not being as committed as the older generations was responsible for the club’s dwindling fortunes.
Akabueze told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday day in Lagos that the players of old were always playing for the fans and not for money.
NAN reports that Rangers was founded in 1970 but has never been relegated from the Nigeria Premier League. It has won several honours and last year won the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
It has won in total the Nigeria Premier League seven times in 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1984 and 2016 and Nigeria FA Cup five times in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1983.
The club was also finalists seven times in the competitions in 1971, 1978, 1987, 1990, 2000, 2004 and 2007; won the Nigerian Super Cup in 2004, Africa Cup Winners’ Cup in 1977 and was finalist in the African Cup of Champions in 1975.
However, it started the 2016/2017 NPFL on a low noted, threatened by relegation. It has overcome the threat and has since the second stanza of the league struggled to do well.
Rangers are currently 13th on the NPFL log with 32 points after 25 games.
“During our own time, we always have the interest of the fans at heart. We always consider the market men who had to leave their stalls to watch us.
“We were always conscious of the fact that if we lose a game what will be their reaction. They left their businesses to support us.
“Whenever we lose a match, we dare not exchange pleasantries because everybody will be sad and that was the spirit then, we are concerned.
“We think much about our fans because we don’t want to lose them as well we want to always increase our fan base; unlike now when money has taken over,’’ he said.
Akabueze, a die-hard fan of Rangers, said that monetisation had rubbished the flavour often enjoyed in football, adding that passion was no more the driving force of many footballers.
“The issue of money has really damaged the entire system. Players no longer play for their passion of the game but what will be paid to them at the end of the match.
“A player will not follow you to a club for the purpose of playing with passion, it is about how much he will receive at the end of the game.
“Football is more than the money in it but the presence of money has rubbished the entire system. I think the system needs an overhauling.
“We need to change our mentality from monetary gain to passion for the game that is the only option to move the game forward,’’ he said.
Akabueze alleged that the present crop of players also lacked respect for each other, adding that there was a hierarchical order in the team which all must abide with.
“Players don’t respect themselves anymore and that is a problem. During our own time, we recognise our seniors and we accorded them due respect, we were not rude.
“If we were rude, we might get a dirty slap. Some of our seniors like Stephen Keshi were in the team with us and we were not rude to them. All these are missing now.
“Can you imagine a team will play a home game and lose, then the next thing you see them talking and discussing happily? You can’t try that during our time.
“Also, an amateur player without a club will be heard saying that he has a manager somewhere. How can players without clubs already have managers and that is what has been,’’ he said.
Akabueze added that Nigeria football could be at par with other football countries in the world if the system was changed to reflect standards.
“If we want to have the standard like other advanced countries, why not? But we need to do the needful. The system must conform to the standards.
“If we take a look at an average football fan in Nigeria, they all have clubs they are supporting overseas to the point of fighting for those clubs.
“Then we ask, can we do the same for Nigerian club sides? Yes, we can but we need to look holistically how we run our clubs in Nigeria.
“We can get there; we can find the same enthusiasm for foreign clubs replicated in Nigerian clubs if we want to have it.
Akabueze said that the was doing its best to standardise the league but it must be complemented by other football stakeholders.
“The LMC is trying its best to return enthusiasm to the league, but we must all compliment it and support them.
“For example, when MFM is playing in Lagos, their fans will come out and say let us support our team, not for the international teams alone.
“The LMC is trying to do it but we Nigerians are the ones to patronise ourselves, if we do that then the teams in Nigeria will grow.
“We must also ensure that discipline is restored back to the national team so that everything will be put in place for the prosperity of the national team,’’ he said.
