Nigerian Football
Just how good is the 33-year old Nigerian professional league?
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
The rating of the Nigerian League with the rest of the world, especially on the African continent, will always be a contentious issue.
It is an argument that can never be effectively settled. But one fact is certain: a league’s product defines its quality.
In that wise, the Nigerian league can be evaluated by the results obtained by the league’s champions in Africa’s inter clubs’ competitions as well as the quota it contributes to the national team and continental competitions.
Also, the grip it has on the populace is another factor to evaluate the efficacy of the league in Nigeria.
In terms of popularity, the league, undoubtedly, has waned in importance.
Paradoxically, before the advent of professional football in 1990, the stadiums were often overfilled, especially in crackers involving clubs like the IICC Shooting Stars, Enugu Rangers, Super Stores, Bendel Insurance among others.
Now, the league venues are becoming emptier with every passing season, while the English Premiership and other leagues of Europe continue their stranglehold on the Nigerian populace.
That way, the English Premiership for instance continues to wax stronger with ever increasing television viewing figures around the globe and also massive and foreign investors are falling over themselves to get a piece of the action.
In Europe, the leagues, clubs and players can be choosy in sponsorship and endorsements. Not so with the Nigerian league and the clubs as well as the players whose lifelines depend almost solely on government subventions.
For the three decades of the introduction of professional league to Nigeria, the bulk of national team players were drawn from leagues in Europe.
The trend appears will persist for years to come. Even when an African nations’ football championship was introduced by the Confederation of African Football, (CAF), for players domiciled in the respective African countries, Nigeria’s home-based players could not qualify for the first two editions held in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 and Sudan in 2011.
The Nigerian side was knocked out in 2009 by Ghana and for the 2011 edition by even a lesser football power, Niger Republic, in the first round of the qualifying series.
In the first 20 years of professional league in Nigeria, the country’s clubsides only won the continent’s premier inter clubs competition, the CAF Champions League twice.
In comparison within the same period, Egyptian clubs won the Champions League eight times.
Overall, in 46 editions of the African premier clubs competition from 1965 to 2010, Egyptian clubs won 12 times, followed by clubs from Cameroon, Congo DR and Morocco with five victories each. Algeria have won four times and are followed by Ghana, Guinea and Tunisia. The Nigerian league produced African champions only twice in 46 years.
In the next level of African clubs competition, the African Winners Cup which ran from 1975 to 2003, Nigeria won three times in 29 editions of the competition.
Products of the Egyptian league on the other hand have won eight times. Tunisian clubs had four victories.
In 12 editions of 12 CAF Cup competition, Tunisian clubs led the pack, winning four times and followed by Algeria with three victories. Nigerian clubs won twice.
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation recognised by FIFA.
It chronicles the history and records of football. Over the years, its ranking of African leagues persistently put the Egyptian league top in Africa.
The Tunisian league often followed, while Nigeria ranked third. The statistics also reflected the results obtained in the CAF Champions League which the North Africans dominate.
In terms of contribution to national team, the Egyptian league again soars above that of Nigeria. For instance, while Egypt’s 23-man squad to the 2010 African Nations Cup had 19 home boys, Nigeria’s entire squad was drawn from abroad.
There were six other players from the Egyptian league in other squads, making a total 25 players from that league.
In contrast, Nigeria’s league only contributed two out of the 368 players of the the 2010 Africa Cup of Cup.
They were Chitou Rachad, a goalkeeper of Wikki Tourists and Akinsola Boussari of Enugu Rangers who was to play for Togo before the country’s eventual withdrawal.
The leagues of other African countries also contributed significantly to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations .
The Tunisian league had 16 products at the tournament; Angolan league had 10 players while Algeria had nine.
It is even worse since the 2013 edition that the late Stephen Keshi had a handful of home-based players in the winning side of the AFCON.
In 2019 and 2021, Nigeria did not have any of its home based players in the squad.
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has slammed Kano Pillars with a ₦9.5 million fine, a three-point deduction, and an indefinite ban from their home ground, Sani Abacha Stadium, following violent scenes during their Matchday 8 clash with Shooting Stars of Ibadan.
The latest punishment adds to Pillars’ growing record of disciplinary infractions. Since 2019, the club has paid over ₦36 million in fines related to crowd disturbances and violent conduct: ₦8m (June 2019), ₦2.5m (March 2022), ₦9m (April 2022), ₦2.25m (June 2022), ₦1m (October 2023), ₦12m (January 2024), and ₦2m (October 2024).
The disciplinary action, announced less than 24 hours after the incident, follows a pitch invasion in Kano that led to attacks on match officials and players of Shooting Stars, causing widespread condemnation.
Under the NPFL’s summary jurisdiction, the league deducted three points and three goals from Pillars’ accumulated tally for breaching Rule C1.1, which prohibits assault on match officials and opposing teams. The club will now play its home games at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina for the rest of the season.
In addition, the NPFL imposed a ₦9.5 million cumulative fine on the club for multiple breaches of league regulations:
- ₦1 million for failure to provide adequate security (Rule B13.52)
- ₦1 million for failing to control supporters who harassed the away team and officials (Rule C9)
- ₦1 million for objects thrown onto the pitch (Rule B13.18)
- ₦1 million for bringing the league into disrepute (Rule C1.1)
- ₦2 million for assault on the away team and officials
- ₦2 million as compensation to Shooting Stars players
- ₦1.5 million as restitution to assaulted match officials
In addition to the sanctions on Kano Pillars, the NPFL has written to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Match Officials Appointment Committee recommending a review and possible downgrade of five referees.
The affected officials include centre referee Mohammed B. Tuta (Adamawa), assistant referees Bem Japhet (Benue) and Shehu Isah (Adamawa) from the Pillars vs. Shooting Stars match, and centre referee Ikechukwu Taiwo (Rivers) along with assistant referee Usman Opeyemi Edward (Osun) from the Nasarawa United vs. Rangers fixture.
Davidson Owumi, the NPFL’s Chief Operating Officer, reaffirmed the league’s zero-tolerance policy for violence.
“We will invoke the rules wherever and whenever required to keep bad behaviour of fans, players, and officials out of the league,” he declared.
Kano Pillars have been given the right to appeal the sanctions, although failure to overturn the decision could lead to additional penalties.
The Sani Abacha Stadium will remain closed to fans for the remainder of the 2025 season.
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The management of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has condemned the violent scenes that followed Sunday’s Matchday 8 encounter between Kano Pillars and Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), describing the incident as disturbing and unacceptable.
In a statement signed by the league’s Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, the NPFL said it had noted with concern the reports and viral video clips showing fans invading the pitch at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, shortly after the final whistle.
“We condemn in the strongest terms any act of violence, intimidation, or misconduct directed at players, match officials, or fans,” the statement read.
Owumi assured that the NPFL had already reached out to the Match Commissioner, Referees, and officials of Shooting Stars, confirming that their safety had been secured.
The league body stated that it is awaiting the official match reports and full video evidence from the Match Commissioner and Referees before taking disciplinary action but stressed that the incident would be treated with “utmost seriousness.”
“The NPFL is assuring all stakeholders and football lovers that this isolated incident is being handled decisively, and appropriate actions will follow upon review of the full reports,” Owumi said.
He reaffirmed the NPFL’s commitment to discipline, safety, and professionalism at all league venues nationwide, warning that violence of any kind will not be tolerated in the domestic league.
“We reaffirm our commitment to maintaining discipline, safety, and professionalism at all league venues across the country,” the statement concluded.
The Sunday incident in Kano has since sparked outrage among fans and officials, with many calling for stricter sanctions to deter future acts of hooliganism in Nigerian football.
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Former Super Eagles’ skipper and now Kano Pillars General Manager, Ahmed Musa, has tendered a public apology following the violent scenes that marred his club’s Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) fixture against Shooting Stars Sports Club on Sunday evening.
In a heartfelt statement posted on his official X handle, the Super Eagles captain described the incident as “heartbreaking, shameful, and completely unacceptable,” stressing that it does not reflect the true values or proud history of Kano Pillars.
The scene after the Kano Pillars versus Shooting Stars match.
“What transpired against Shooting Stars is heartbreaking, shameful, and completely unacceptable. It does not represent the true values, identity, or proud history of Kano Pillars,” Musa wrote.
He expressed deep regret to Shooting Stars players, coaches, officials, match referees, NPFL board members, GTI partners, and football fans across the country who witnessed the ugly scenes, promising that those responsible would be brought to book.
“Violence has no place in football. It is unacceptable, unjustifiable, and goes against everything this beautiful sport stands for. Football is meant to unite, to inspire, to bring joy. When it turns into scenes of chaos and harm, we must not pretend it away — we must confront it head-on,” he stated.
Musa assured that Kano Pillars would work closely with relevant authorities to identify and punish those behind the riot, adding that the club would take firm internal measures to prevent a recurrence.
“We understand that apologies alone are not enough. Words must be followed by action. We will take huge steps internally to ensure that something like this never happens again,” he said.
Addressing the club’s supporters directly, Musa urged them to show their passion through respect and discipline rather than violence.
“True support is shown not through violence, but through respect, passion, and discipline. This must be a turning point for us,” he appealed.
The former Leicester City and Al Nassr forward concluded by taking full responsibility on behalf of the club and promising to restore trust and respect for Kano Pillars and Nigerian football.
“We take full responsibility and will do everything necessary to restore trust, respect, and the true spirit of football in Kano and across Nigeria,” he said.
The NPFL and its partners are expected to launch an investigation into the incident, with potential sanctions looming for Kano Pillars, whose fans were reportedly involved in violent conduct following the match against the Ibadan-based Shooting Stars.
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