Executive Director, Edo State Sports Development Commission, Mr. Frank Ilaboya, has urged the new Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Board led by Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau to consider seriously the policy of giving the Nigerian leagues serious attention and making them better, Completesports.com reports.
Ilaboya, a former Chairman of Edo State Football Association while speaking with Completesports.com in Benin, Edo State recently described home leagues as a mill that will produce reliable players for national teams.
“NFF should look at the Nigerian leagues, I think we’re losing. Let us make our home leagues very very robust because it’s like a mill, a transition mill. Right now if you look at Super Eagles you can’t get one person that will be in that team,” Ilaboya told Completesports.com during an exclusive interview in Benin City.
“The NFF President and Board should make the home league, very robust, they should be well complemented. It must be well respected, players must be paid well, and they must be well advertised.
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“Even us, the sports writers, have to look at that. Putting all our attention on the English Premier League will not help us. Let us create a consciousness in us to celebrate our players.”
The former Chairman of SWAN Lagos Chapter also appealed to the national coaches to look inwards.
“I also want to appeal to the national coaches to do more, like Jose Peseiro is doing now, trying to look at our local league,” Ilaboya added.
“When Westerhof was here, that was the catch. The man went around, saw our players, and saw that they needed to be exposed. He exposed the likes of Finidi, the likes of Amokachi, Kanu, and now look at them today.
“Peseiro has started it, let us have more of it. Let them see our pain, let them hear what the people are saying, not that you’ll play one friendly match and that’s it. I think the current administration should ensure that any coach hired should e able to do it.
“Secondly, they should come up with a policy where our national teams play the same pattern. The coaches should be told this is the pattern for Nigeria, at U-17, U-20, and U-23. At the Super Eagles, they should play the same pattern so that transition would be easy. It has to be a deliberate policy.
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“Look at the Cameronians for instance, you see their players are bulky, they’re stocky. It’s a deliberate policy. So what is our policy on football? That is the question the incoming board should answer”,
“They should sit down and come out with a policy, tell Nigerians this is the policy we want to pursue and this is how we want to pursue it. And Nigerians should see that the policies indeed are being pursued.
“England has not won the World Cup since 1966, but people appreciate their football, people talk about EPL, EPL is not an English team, so why can’t ours be that vibrant that’s what I am saying.”
From Chigozie Chukwuleta in Benin
12 Comments
So why can’t ours be that vibrant?
The Answer is CORRUPTION ON HIGHEST LEVEL!!!!.
@Fidel, the answer is much deeper than that, the country’s economy has to improve. I still can not understand why people can not get this. All the best players in the local league always move abroad, it then begs the question, how then does the league become attractive?? The reason is simple, they can secure better contracts despite the harsh winter climate in Europe and beyond. If they are getting the same amount of money & benefits from the local club sides, i can bet they would not move an inch.
Ask yourself this question, this challenge is posed to the NFF every year and has there been any improvement? The answer is No! Talent always follows the money and that is why the best players in world all move to the Epl because that is where the money is. Can the NPFL improve with better organization and the prudent utilization of funds that comes in to the league? perhaps but a thriving economy would greatly accelerate the improvement of the league. Our case is like a Rastafarian who shaves his head every 10 mins and wonders why he has no dreadlocks.
Some people would like Peseiro to recall local players and they know that NPFL declined; I recommend new NFF board led by Gasau to inact new laws with regard to clubs of NPFL to make comprehensive overhaul on NPFL; frist law on how clubs can accommodate their situations to be public companies sponsored by stakeholders, in this law the clubs must establish their installations just as club academy, jim hall, training pitch, especiall stadium, especiall small hotel for club players; on administration NFF must inact law of NPFL clubs administration that any club administrator must have high football administration degree, the club must select six players from their especial academy to contract with them, the club must afford for tow foriegn players to make club line-up on a match other all players must be Nigerians, the club must make an excellent salary hulk, the player must be afforded to join big European club if he is over 19 years old; any club at NPLF must participate at NPLF nascent leauge; the third law on players contracts and their rights and clubs and it’s righs and duties. I think if new NFF make these law NPFL will inhance and improve then Peseiro can select talented players from it.
NEW PRESIDENT FIST IMPRESION LAST LONG WHAT YOU SAY TO YOUTH IN NIGERIA WE BE THE BEST FOR YOUTH CONTRIBUTION WE HEP THEM LOVE SPORT MORE AND SPONSORSHIP FROM OTHER EAROPE COUNTRY TO OUR NPFL TO BE MORE PRESENTABLE IN ANY OTHERS COUNTRY TV RIGHT LICENCE FOR SPORT IN NIGERIA WE LOVE THAT WE FOLLOW YOU GORVNMENT AND YOU WE NEVER LAKE GOOD THINGS AMEEEN FROM IWOBI
Also I forgot tow important things to do for NPFL clubs that any club must put insurance for any player insurance against injuries,accidents, fire(house,car); any club at NPFL must hire proffessional coaching crew who have high certificate in football training on a unversity or institute.
Why remove my two important submissions about Nigerian football.Why?….Joe Ajalue
Pls, the new NFF president should as a matter is urgency revive and get started our local league. We want to watch our players play and they should be discovered here and then sent to good clubs overseas where their standard of play would be greatly enhanced.Not just begging players of Nigerian descent who have no hunger to come and play for us
Pls,the local league must be reorganised.Let us go back to the days of Rangers int, IICC shooting Stars, Stationery Stores, Raccah Rovers,Bendel Insurance and save our football.Nigeria is blessed with avalanche of talents here Ang the Gusau led board must encourage the league. Let there be television rights,football comentrys on radio so that the league would have followership and Nigerians gradually would begin to love their own. From Joe Akalue
And how can you forget Assbatex, P&T vasco da gama, Taraba starts, Mighty jets, Sharks, Ayuf-salam, Spartans and water ibadan (shooting nightmare). The 70s was fantastic. The stadiuns will be filled by 1pm for a 4.45pm match. kai
So was comments deleted and why pls?
Pls,most of my comments sent are never sent often disappears.Why?
Pls,we’ve had enough disappointments as far as our football is concerned.Every match should be taken seriously whether friendly or competitive matches.No player invited should shy away from matches unless injured.The NFF should revive the local league for Nigerians have been starved of good football.We depend solely on Nigerian descends abroad too much that we forget about the local league which we all know produced great stars,like Yekini,okocha, kanu,odegbami,Adokie,Aghahowa,to mention but a few.I am confident if the local league is revised and stars discovered there will be competition among both the local players and these foreign legions who tend to be complacent as a result of no competition.Again,players invited from foreign leagues must be seen to command first team shirts before invitation,not players that warm the bench,like we have now please,if we must get it right. From Joseph Akalue.