Seeking an overhaul of the system, Solomon Dalung has rolled out a set of radical guidelines for elections to sports federations. The Sports Minister stirred up hubbub in his constituency in April after imposing rules that barred some top administrators from contesting the federations’ polls due in May. Wary of the backlash that might ensue if the guidelines are implemented, he quickly modified the key provisions. Dalung’s policy shift should not be wrongly construed; it is an inclusive endeavour to deal with the rot in sports administration in the country.
Two sections of the guidelines generated intense debate. First, any administrator who had served as a president or vice-president of a federation cannot contest. Second, the disqualification of those currently holding executive positions in international sports federations from contesting the office of a federation president or vice-president. These provisions would have had far-reaching implications in the personnel template of sports administration in Nigeria, if they had been sustained. Apart from football, there are 31 other federations.
The amendments, however, allow presidents of the federations to seek a fourth term in office. “We decided to make amendments to some of the guidelines … to conform to the International Olympic Committee Charter and international best practices,” Dalung said. This gives some embattled administrators like Habu Gumel, the Nigerian Olympic Committee president, and Tijjani Umar (basketball) a breathing space. Yet, this is a transient respite: in four years, the crisis will rear up its head again when elections come around.
Some provisions churned out by Dalung can bring about improvements in the federations, some of which, like volleyball, judo and boxing, are nearly comatose. One of them is that slots will no longer be reserved for government nominees on federations’ boards. This abnormality encourages incompetent government nominees to hold positions they do not merit. Dalung’s attempt to provide a level-playing field is a right step, but it should be transparently implemented.
Yet, there is a case for longevity in sports administration. In the United States, David Stern, who was credited with popularising the National Basketball Association in the 1990s and 2000s, was its commissioner between 1984 and 2014. It is illogical to sacrifice an administrator on the altar of politics and ego.
To reform our sports, inept or tainted administrators have to be voted out by stakeholders at the earliest opportunity through elections, not by enthroning harsh guidelines. This was the case with Issa Hayatou in the 2017 Confederation of African Football elections and Sepp Blatter in the 2016 International Federation of Association Football polls. Longevity can help a country in international sports politics.
Dalung’s avowal to reform the federations through the guidelines are, however, not far-reaching enough. There is a bigger fish to fry. Instead of wrangling over elections, sports should be totally unshackled because they possess huge economic potential. This is the norm in Europe and North America. Through the three major leagues – professional basketball, hockey and baseball – the US government grossed $3 billion in taxes in 2013 (the tax bill of all Americans was $2.5tn that year), according to a USA Today survey.
American states reap fortunes from sports by collecting “jock tax,” a euphemism for the tax visitors pay when they work or stay in a state. The California Franchise Board collected $229.2m “jock tax” from major sports professionals in 2013. In 2015, the 20 English Premier League football teams and players shelled out £2.4bn in taxes to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, according to London-based accounting firm, Ernst & Young. The EPL supports 103,354 full time jobs in the UK, it says. It contributed £3.4bn to the UK Gross Domestic Product in 2013/14. Deloitte, a global professional services firm, says the EPL earns £43bn annually.
If administered professionally, sports have the capacity to generate employment, expand income, aid infrastructure development and take people out of poverty. The TV rights in the major football leagues in Europe offer a strong case to entrench a liberal sports environment. The EPL has a TV rights deal of £5.13bn for the three years to 2019; the top two divisions in Spain have a deal of €3.03bn in place. Ditto for the German Bundesliga: in 2016, it signed a deal of €4.6bn for the four years to 2022 for its top two football divisions.
Fortunately for Nigeria, the potential is there. On April 26, the NFF signed a five-year endorsement deal worth N2.5bn with an oil company. It was partly because the NFF enjoys a measure of autonomy not available to the other sports federations. For sports to flourish, Dalung must bite the bullet and go the whole hog by implementing a reform that will unfetter the federations from the vice-like control of the ministry. The current practice promotes amateurism. In line with international statutes that govern them, federations should be allowed to go fully professional.
