Kunle Soname: Remo Stars owner shares his lofty vision for Nigeria football

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

A member of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), Honourable Kunle Soname has revealed that seeing Nigeria Premier Football League players receiving whooping salary are one of his lofty vision for Nigeria football.

In this exclusive interview, Soname, who is a Nigerian politician, entrepreneur, sport enthusiast and the chairman of Bet9ja,and airline Valuejet shared his much treasured lofty goals for Nigeria football following his side’s 2-0 opening day victory over El-Kanemi Warriors at Remo Stars Stadium on Sunday.

Soname, who doubles as the proprietor of Remo Stars also disclosed that seeing the football industry gaining huge parternership and sponsorship patronage as the entertainment sector is another of his many visions.

“My vision for Nigeria football. Football generally is about leisure and entertainment. When you come to the football field, you want to feel good for two hours, shout, and be happy,” Soname opened up to Nigeriafootball.ng.

“It’s exactly what you get if you go to a cinema for instance to watch a Nollywood movie. Exactly what you hope to get when you go to a Burnaboy show for instance or Whizkid show. We are all delivering entertainment to people and we must all see it from that standpoint.

“My vision for Nigeria football is the day I see an average Nigerian league player earning 5 million per month, 10 million per month because it’s the same. If people can pay 50,000 Naira to go and watch Burnaboy, I see no reason why they shouldn’t come and watch a football game with  10,000 Naira. We are both delivering entertainment to people. That’s my vision for Nigerian football.”

Goals from Samuel Anakwe and Edidiong Ezekiel Enobong handed the 2022 CAF Confederation Cup campaigners a winning start and the club’s proprietor is pleased by his side’s bright opening day outing on their home ground.

“We must make the stadium conducive. The game should be made to be fun so that people can enjoy it. Football is to be enjoyed. If it’s well packaged and delivered, I am quite sure that in about five years we should start seeing football clubs having sponsorships with car makers,” he continued.

“Abroad you will see Audi sponsoring a football club. Any player that comes there and Audi gives him a car. That’s what we want to see in our league and we are not very far from it. Only that we are still not acting right. I feel good like any normal human being. If you achieve success, you feel good. I feel good about the game.

The 2022/2023 NPFL season is an abridged league with 20 clubs drawn into two groups of 10 teams and Soname explained his backing for the current format despite rejections from fellow club representatives.

“Most certainly the abridged league is the best for now. The limitations are obvious to everyone to see. In the circumstance that we found ourselves, the abridged league is probably the best thing we can have for now,” he said.

Following the Sky Blue Stars’ qualification to CAF Confederation Cup last year, the club will aim to return to the continent at the end of the abridged season, beginning with an NPFL Super Six qualification this season.