In all spheres of life in Nigeria, we aspire to do things in accordance with the best practices in the world but in most cases, we also fail to get it right. Those who run things smoothly in Europe and other parts of the world apply high level of skill with round pegs in round holes. They do not cut corners in trying to activate any project and so things are done with ease.
For over 10 years, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the authorities in charge of the country’s domestic league, the League Management Company (LMC), has been working to align the Nigerian domestic league season with that of Europe and other parts of the world. This will reduce the club versus country row when it comes to national assignments. The domestic league was on break for seven months and three days. The time the league was on break was almost a full season. The league went on break for the 2018 World Cup staged in Russia when the host country continued with its domestic games.
We recall that four years earlier in Brazil, league games were on while the World Cup was in progress. Ikechukwu Ezenwa, a reserve keeper in his team, Enyimba, was the only player in the league who made it to the World Cup in Russia and the authorities chose to endorse a break. By the time Super Eagles crashed out of the mundial last year, the leadership crisis in the NFF was at its climax and the factional president, Chris Giwa, was calling the shots until the situation was normalized by FIFA about three weeks after. When the league was to bounce back, it was too late to meet the deadline of CAF for registration of clubs and so Lobi Stars were the beneficiaries of the crisis as they were declared winners with 14 matches to go. The aftermath of this decision affected the country’s football such that the chieftains of the lower league, the Nigeria National League (NNL), kicked and further delayed the process of league resumption.
The resumption of the league was characterized by many postponements, politics and power play. The officials in the second tier league, the Nigeria National League, were not happy that they were not carried along before Lobi Stars were crowned champions and a decision was reached that there would be no relegation from the elite cadre. We do not want to go into the crisis between the NFF, the LMC and the NNL but it’s good that reasons prevailed and the league started on January 13.
It was, however, sad that on Match Day 1, the season recorded an ugly incident of hooliganism at the Jos Centre where Plateau United and IfeanyiUbah FC clashed. Centre referee, Sam Agba, was beaten by people suspected to be sympathisers of Plateau United. The LMC reacted fast. A fine of N5 million was imposed on the team and they were banished to Ilorin for their next three home games. The swift response of the LMC is an indication that the body is resolute to fight hooliganism, but the totality of the penalty is not tough enough. We hereby call for a review of the rules on crowd trouble because a stiff penalty like reduction of points or season ban from home stadium will force teams to plead with their fans to embrace peace.
With just 22 match days expected this season, every match is crucial for each of the teams. Better monitoring by independent match assessors will boost quality officiating and that is what the league requires. Hooliganism must be handled with all seriousness and not a soft penalty like the one the LMC rolled out last week. Any team that fails to control its home crowd should pay dearly for it financially and otherwise. It was nice that away victories were recorded in each of the first two match days and that is healthy for the system. The better team should win anywhere.
The season itself will be staged in an abridged format. There are 12 teams in each of the two groups and any point gained or lost will be crucial at the end of the day as there is no margin for errors. Final Six play-off will determine the winner. Eight teams will be relegated to the NNL while four teams will be promoted to bring the elite class back to 20-team format. We charge the NFF to work with the LMC to make the abridged format realize the purpose it is meant to serve while the participants should also be made to enjoy the process.
The overall standard of the country’s football depends largely on the quality of the domestic league. We also call on the football authorities to bring out true champions who can compete well for honours on the continent. It is important for the country’s representatives in club competition to be among the best in Africa through consistent display in the CAF Champions League and the Confederation Cup.
