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Remo Stars owner Kunle Soname laments poor funding in Nigerian football
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Remo Stars Football Club owner, Otunba Kunle Soname, has voiced his disappointment over the current financial state of the Nigerian football league, describing it as a major obstacle to progress and competitiveness.
Soname made the remarks following his club’s 5-1 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in the CAF Champions League preliminary round first leg played on Sunday in Abeokuta.
The sports administrator, who has long advocated for structural reforms in Nigerian football, emphasized the need for greater private sector involvement in club ownership and management.
“We like to see more of private sector players in club football because we firmly believe that it is the way to go,” Soname said.
“All successful clubs in the world are privately run. So ours cannot be different. Yes, government can intervene, but it shouldn’t be in the day-to-day running of a football club. It’s not sustainable. That is why we are where we are today.”
He further noted that the lack of funding remains the core issue affecting the league’s growth, warning that without attractive financial structures, private investors would remain reluctant to get involved.
“If our clubs were private sector-driven, we would have been far ahead,” he continued. “The issue in football is funding. If the league is not well funded, the private sector won’t come in because of the risks involved. And without the private sector coming in, funding will not come. So it’s a case of the chicken or the egg — which comes first?”
Soname, who also owns Portuguese club CD Feirense, suggested that a government intervention fund similar to the one previously provided to Nigeria’s film industry could help stabilize and develop the local football ecosystem.
“Another way is, the Federal Government might just decide that it wants to be serious about football and decide to give a development fund to the game — say ₦10 billion or ₦20 billion — just like they did in Nollywood. Such intervention can help if it is properly managed,” he added.
Remo Stars will face Mamelodi Sundowns in the second leg in Pretoria as they look to overturn the first-leg deficit and keep their continental hopes alive.
