Nigerian Football

Just how good is the 33-year old Nigerian professional league?

Published

2 years ago

May 12, 2023

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.

This year marks 20 years since a Nigerian club first won the CAF Champions League when Enyimba triumphed in 2003 and again in the following year.

Ever since, Nigerian clubs tumbled. Even the second tier CAF Confederation Cup has been elusive to Nigerian clubs since the competition began in 2004.

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.

Nigerian Football

Day of the stars as Remo Stars go into Christmas as NPL leaders and Shooting Stars end Enugu Rangers’ 10-match unbeaten run

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2024

Kunle Solaja

The stars have the day in the Nigeria Premier Football League. Tough for them, but they prevailed. Just as it happened last year, Remo Stars are leading the log at Christmas after a late 2-0 win just as it occurred last year.

Last year, they went into Christmas as NPFL champions after prevailing in a table-top contest with Lobi Stars in which they won 2-0

The Ikenne side won 2-0 late into the game as Sikiru Alimiput in the first goal almost on the dot of regulation time after both sides had had close misses.

At about the same time this year, late goals saw them beat Bayelsa United 2-0 after Jabbar Malik’s brace in the 84^th and 88^th minutes.

It turned a table-topping outing for Remo Stars as initial leaders, Rivers United played 1-1 with Nasarawa United.

Visiting Shooting Stars of Ibadan came out top in the much-anticipated match against their age-long arch-rivals, Enugu Rangers at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium in Enugu.

It was Ikouwem Utin’s 27th-minute goal that ended Rangers’ 10-match unbeaten run.

To cap the unlucky day, Rangers failed to convert a penalty awarded to the side in the 88^th minute.

Interestingly, it was another home loss to Kano Pillars in mid-October the last time the defending champion was on the losing side.

For Shooting Stars, a resurgent team led by Ogunbote have won their last four matches gaining 12 points maximum points to lift the side into the third position with 30 points from 18 matches.

In Aba, Abia Warriors deflated high-ridding Ikorodu City with a 2-0 win. Ijoma Desouza put the home side in the lead in the 10^th minute and doubled the lead on the dot of halftime with another goal.

Earlier on Saturday, Bendel Insurance pipped fellow struggling side, Lobi Stars by a lone goal scored by Isaac Annor in the 83^rd minute.

Kano Pillars won 2-1 against visiting Niger Tornadoes. Played before a massive crowd at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.

Rashid Alhasan put the host in front in the 30^th minute but the visitors levelled up in the 60^th minute through Mohammed Aliyu before Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa scored the winner in the added time.

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Nigerian Football

CAF Safe Stadium Initiative: CAF commends NFF, charges participants to be change agents

Published

4 days ago

December 20, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Group photograph of the participants.

The first-ever CAF Safe Stadium Initiative Workshop in Nigeria came to a close in Abuja on Thursday.

The workshop drew participants from diverse sectors, including the 20 Nigeria Premier Football League clubs and was impactful for the participants, as they acquired new skills and knowledge of how to safeguard and protect lives and properties within the stadium environment.

The last day of the workshop saw the resource persons from CAF, led by the Head of CAF Safety and Security, Dr Christian Emeruwa, take a tour of the MKO Abiola National Stadium for an enlightened practical session of the initiative, teaching and with emphasis on crowd control.

While speaking, Dr Emeruwa expressed his deepest appreciation to the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation for their commitment in ensuring that the workshop was a success.

He noted that the initiative will usher in a new lease of life in the area of managing the operations of safety and security in the country.

“Let me start by sending my deepest appreciation to the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation for their uprightness and commitment in making this workshop a reality.

A new dawn is taking place on the continent of Africa when it comes to the area of managing safety and security operations, and for all the participants that have been involved today in the last minute training, it is now your responsibility to carry the torch and begin to make the little changes required for football in Nigeria to be played in a safe and secure environment for all.

“Personally, I do not expect to see a one hundred percent turn-around overnight, but I believe you can start taking steps to improve the situation around your competition zones, the VIP area, your media area, as well as general spectator-areas.

“ If we do this, we are sure to solve seventy-five percent of our problems and, more importantly, prevent deaths in our stadiums.”

The General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, expressed happiness and thanked Dr Emeruwa for his perseverance in ensuring that Nigeria profited from the initiative.

He declared the workshop closed by charging the participants to be polite in the discharge of their duties .

“It is important that when you want to address issues, you should be polite, in order that you do not have problems with anybody while going about to implement the knowledge of this workshop that you all have acquired.”

Certificates of participation were presented to all the participants at the end of the workshop.

NSC Chairman, Dikko (second left), Chairman of NFF Security Committee Babagana Kalli (left), his deputy Essien (right) and Dr Emeruwa in Dikko’s office on Thursday.

Nigerian Football

Rivers Utd Regain Top Spot as Ikorodu City, Remo Stars Share points

Published

1 week ago

December 15, 2024

Kunle Solaja

In Port Harcourt, Rivers United had to endure with slow start but came from behind at home to beat Kwara United 2-1 in a highly contested game.

The win returns the side to the top following 1-1 scoreline in the Ikorodu City and Remo Stars Western derby at the Mobolaji Arena in Lagos

In the Port Harcourt duel, Akeem Akanni put kwara United in front with a low drive in the 18^th minute and held on till the end of the half but Timothy Zachariah restored parity for the home side in the 52^nd minute before David Benjamin scored the winner in the 59^th minute.

The result leaves the former champions firmly in contention for the title, while Kwara United still needs to battle to remain in the middle of the pack.

In the much-touted match of the week, Remo Stars started on the front foot and were rewarded with a goal in the 8th minute, but Ikorodu Stars equalised on the dot on time in a highly thrilling encounter.

After three consecutive wins at home in Owerri, Heathland FC had to endure a draw at the Dan Ayiam Stadium with a 1-1 scoreline with Insurance of Benin.

Promise Anyanwu put the home side in front in the 6^th minute but efforts by Emmanuel Amuneke’s side to double the lead were wasted and the same rhythm was played out in the second stanza before disaster struck in the 82^nd minute with the equaliser off Micheal Enaruna.

Akwa United’s quest to swim out of the relegation zone suffered a setback in Yenagoa with a 2-1 defeat by the host, Bayelsa United.

Chijioke Alaekwe put the visiting side in front in the 23^rd minute but Sadiq Auwal equalised for the home side in the 42^nd minute but in the 80^th minute, Ibrahim Yahaya gave the host the winner.

It was a goal feast in Minna but it was the home side that ran the show as Niger Tornadoes pummelled Sunshine Stars of Akure 4-1.

Goals from Ernest Onyeka, Abdulrasheed Shehu Dabai, Abba Khalid and Joseph Godstime a goa-goal lead up till the 73^rd minute before the away side managed to pull one back in the 80^th minute.