by Odogwu Moses
What is known as Nigeria Football League started in the summer of 1972 when the then Nigeria Football Association decided to provide clubs in various parts of the country the opportunity to compete among themselves in a centrally organized football setting. Winners of the league are registered in the continent for the African Cup of Champions competition.
It was not until 12 May 1990 that the League was rechristened as a Professional League with the first match played at Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
Since the inception of League Football in country, Enyimba International of Aba holds the record of winning the shield 8 times in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2019. They were followed by Rangers International of Enugu with 7 times in 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1984, 2016). Shooting Stars of Ibadan won 5 times in 1976, 1980, 1983, 1995, 1998. Heartland F.C.of Owerri won 5 times in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993. Kano Pillars of Kano won 4 times in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014. Dolphins of Port Harcourt which was earlier known as Eagle Cement won 3 times in 1997, 2004, and 2011.
Bendel Insurance of Benin City won 2 times in 1973 and 1979.Same to Julius Berger of Lagos who won twice in 1991 and 2000.
Other clubs that have won the trophy once are Lobi Stars of Makurdi (1999), BCC Lions of Gboko (1994), Stationery Stores of Lagos ( 1992), Leventis United of Ibadan (1986), Plateau United of Jos (2017), Bayelsa United of Yenegoa (2009), Ocean Boys of Brass (2006), Udoji United of Awka (1996), New Nigeria Bank of Benin City (1985), Racca Rovers of Kano (1978), Mighty Jets of Jos (1972), Akwa United of Uyo ( 2021) and Rivers United of Port Harcourt (2022).
In all these years of League Football in the country, only Enyimba International FC of Aba has ever won the African Champions League in 2003 and 2004.
The League Management Company (shortly and commonly known as the ‘LMC’) is the legal association football League governing body of the Nigeria Professional Football League. It was created and incorporated by the Nigeria Football Federation in 2012 to take over the Nigeria Football League (NFL), the former league governing body in the country.
With the attainment of full professionalism in Nigeria Football League in 1990, one had expected the league to blossom to what is attained in other climes worldwide. But, with what we have, we may have gone two decades backward. At least in the past, a typical football league match can be assured of full crowd capacity at the stadium, but today what we have is a situation where the league organizers offer incentives to clubs, to lure fans to the various stadia. Upon than, hardly do they get half of their capacity to watch the matches.
These can be related to various factors among which are: administrative ineptitude, corruption, technical deficiencies of players, lack of tactical knowledge by coaches, government involvement in running of clubs, thereby killing private sector involvement in the league, corrupt refereeing and poor officiating, among others.
However, The LMC since formation and incorporation has tried to run a transparent and commercially viable professional league.
The first step they took was to rebrand the League name, from the Nigerian Premier League to the Nigerian Professional Football League, (NPFL). Also, it signed a $34m TV rights deal to broadcast league matches this lasted until 2017.
In 2015, the League Management Company solicited financial support from the Government in order to upgrade existing grounds, provision of required broadcast and medical equipment and facilities in various stadias, this was not achieved.
The League Management Company on 5 July 2016, the NPFL adopted the TMS Domestic Transfer Matching System (DTMS), becoming the first league in Africa to do so.
However, among various impediments affecting club football in the country, the insistence of various arms of government especially state governments to be involved in the league has killed whatever gains that were envisaged by the proponents of League Football in country.
In pursuance of Articles 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6 of the LMC Frameworks and rules, club Board members are supposed to elected for a specific period, but what is attainable in Nigeria now is a situation where the owners of these clubs, mostly State governments used such positions to settle the ‘boys’. People who helped them during electioneering campaigns, and many have no knowledge of football administration.
In order to keep their jobs, these stooges of the Governors circumvent various laws and rules of the game to win matches. They have no long term plans, because they never know how long their tenure will last. Since, their opponents will be there putting tackles on all their activities to ensure that the team does not achieve the ultimate, leading to the relegation of traditional clubs in the country.
But, if the government hands off the administration of clubs, but provide infrastructures, grants and allow the clubs to select their Board and fed for themselves, the regular infighting will reduced to the barest minimum, if not eliminated.
Then, only serious minded clubs will survive, and our clubs will be able to compete among others in the continent. But, the present situation where virtually no club has a training center, no secretariat, no viable youth team, not to talk of effective communication and marketing strategy, will only guarantee that our football will continue to nose dive.
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