Opinion: How Some Clubs Are Sabotaging Attempts To Develop Nigeria Football (Media Angle)

Nigeria Soccer Leagues have witnessed some degree of improvement in the previous couple of years and it’s little question that the organising our bodies try their greatest to return our leagues to the summit of African membership soccer.

Rome wasn’t in-built a day so they are saying, however a thousand miles journey begins with a step.

The IMC, NNL and different our bodies regulating our main leagues have carried out effectively to an extent though there’s extra to be carried out if we’re to be among the many greatest not simply in Africa however the world.

The golf equipment on their half are doing every thing doable to deliver the league nearer to the followers by way of Livestream of  video games, reside stories from the match venues, footage and movies that replace the followers at dwelling on what is occurring on and off the sector of play.

https://twitter.com/RemoStarsSC/status/1613792615316525056

— (@RemoStarsSC) December 6, 2017

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The social media presence of a few of these golf equipment have helped people like myself, a neighborhood soccer reporter/journalist to get firsthand data that makes reportage swift and correct.

In all of those rising improvement, there’s a part of the nation which appears to be left behind in publicity by means of the social media and that’s the North.

From the Nigeria Premier Soccer League to the Nigeria Nationwide League, golf equipment within the Northern area have carried out little or nothing to enhance their media division, an motion  I termed as an try and sabotage the developmental plans of the leagues governing our bodies.

Takeaway the NPFL golf equipment from the area who to me are nonetheless not doing sufficient with the media in comparison with their counterparts from different a part of the nation, one can hardly level to a membership from the Northern area within the NNL with the required “media presence”. Apart Metropolis FC of Abuja, and Kogi United, 2021 was the final time a few of these golf equipment from the North put up any updates on the social media. Both about their golf equipment or matches performed, nothing of such.

Whereas making my findings as to why they’re inactive of their media division I reached out to a member of the Organising physique (title withheld) and he stated to me: “These golf equipment aren’t severe. Every time we ask about their media crew they merely say they do not have cash to run it, but they journey to match venues with delegates to distrupt issues.”

A crew can sponsor thugs to intimidate match officers however cannot sponsor one or two folks to deal with their media departments.

It’s a large disgrace that golf equipment like, EFCC, NAF, DMD, Yobe DS, Malumfashi, FWC Champions, Mighty Jets, ABS, Hypebuzz, Mailantarki Care, Katsina Utd, Inexperienced Berets, Jigawa GS, Zamfara Utd, Sokoto United, Police Machine, and Adamawa Utd all from the Northern Convention nonetheless see their golf equipment as mere leisure agenda.

They need to borrow a leaf from Ikorodu Metropolis who stream all the matches by way of their social media handles. Allow them to be taught from Vandrezzer FC who pioneered the modifications we see at this time within the media.

https://twitter.com/IkoroduCityFC/status/1656597866444472320

— (@IkoroduCityFC) December 6, 2017

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Media is an integral a part of sports activities improvement and its excessive time the NNL set an ordinary for all golf equipment enjoying within the league with heavy penalty for individuals who fail to stick.

What’s a soccer membership with no Media Supervisor, how do they intend to market their gamers, make revenue and in addition get recognition?

It time these golf equipment understood that soccer is greater than response, it’s a profitable enterprise. Brokers and Scouts not have the time to maneuver from one match venue to the opposite, they’ll see the most effective of your gamers by way of the social media you uncared for.

An NNL membership in Lagos lately bought 3 of its gamers to golf equipment in Spain, while you examine their social media deal with, you see a membership that understands the enterprise known as soccer.

Remo Stars, Sporting Lagos, Abeokuta Stormers, Ijebu United, Rovers FC to say a couple of are a few of the golf equipment to emulate.

https://twitter.com/SportingLagos/status/1656676305860018176

— (@SportingLagos) December 6, 2017

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We all know the names of all of the gamers in Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal, Barcelona, Actual Madrid and have become their followers not as a result of we do go to their stadiums to look at them play however as a result of we might see all they do by way of the social world.

In as a lot as I’ll like to cost the NNL and different our bodies in-charge of our leagues to place the video games on TV, the golf equipment ought to as effectively be on high of their sport by streaming reside their matches. This may function publicity and advertising technique for them.

Of latest, Head of Operation of the NLO Shola Ogunnowo emphasied on ‘the necessity for golf equipment to point out off their media division due to the significance they play in constructing the league’.

Check out England, the media made EPL what it’s at this time and if the leagues in Nigeria actually desires to be up there among the many greatest in Africa, there ought to be extra funding by way of capability and funding of the media.

https://twitter.com/ijebuunitedfc/status/1655676013748035609

— (@ijebuunitedfc) December 6, 2017

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The league physique additionally ought to perceive that to draw buyers there’s a want for publicity which solely the media may give. No person desires to sponsor a league you’ll be able to’t see on TV or with low presence on social media. The goal of each investor is to achieve a bigger viewers and soccer is among the quickest strategy to get that carried out.

Most of the Sport Guess corporations in Nigeria at this time makes use of skit makers like Sabinus, Mr Macaroni, Taaooma, Broda Shagi, Lasisi Elenu, Mind Jotter, MC Full of life and plenty of others to promote their merchandise, giving out hundreds of thousands of naira for endorsement. Our league can’t entice them as a result of so far as the media is anxious, we’re nonetheless within the 60s.

Within the NNL of latest, violence, encroachment of pitches by followers, threats to lives of officers, good targets disallowed, dangerous officiating have been all alleged to have occurred in a few of the video games however there have been no video evidences to backup the claims.

Take as an example the sport between Kano Pillars and Sokoto United, Yobe DS vs DMD, good targets have been stated to have been disallowed however no evidences to backup the claims.

Let’s not even discuss safety points in many of the venues used for the league video games. Our leagues ought to miles forward of what it’s at this time.

Lack of fund most of them say however at occasions I’m wondering what somebody or authorities with no sturdy monetary backing is doing in soccer.

https://twitter.com/BendelInsurance/status/1656016212831137793

— (@BendelInsurance) December 6, 2017

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The soccer enterprise is large one which comes with plenty of earnings however you first should make investments. If you do not have the cash for funding then you haven’t any enterprise working a soccer membership.

Drastic modifications have to be taken if our league should develop. This isn’t a time to play politics with what’s fetching hundreds of thousands of individuals fortunes all around the world.

As reported by This Day Newspaper on eleventh of Could, 2023, Premier League soccer contributed £7.6billion to the UK financial system throughout the pandemic-hit 2019/20 season.

Soccer is not going to solely enhance the reside of people however can even turnaround the fortune of a nation. In a rustic like ours with over 200 million folks the place greater than 50 million actively and passionately comply with soccer, it amazes me why we nonetheless run our league the way in which we do.

Our youths purchase jerseys of European golf equipment. Some even go so far as shopping for straight from the shops of these European golf equipment which price nothing lesser than N50, 000 transport inclusive however majority of those folks do not even know the names of our golf equipment.

Put up on any social media platform at this time on who’s the most effective between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and see how the youths will troop flaming with stats to backup their claims as to whom they assume is healthier, many who do not even have Worldwide Passport to journey overseas not to mention go watch them play reside, however they know extra about these gamers than those that have even watched them play reside by means of the media.

Till we perceive the ability of the media and the function it has performed in soccer improvement throughout the globe earlier than we start to do the correct factor.

As soon as once more, those that haven’t any cash to speculate haven’t any enterprise working a soccer membership.

Its time to show a brand new leaf!

By Oluwayemi Omolagba