Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has spoken candidly about the difficulties confronting football leagues across West Africa, emphasizing why many players look beyond the region for better opportunities.
In an interview with Brila FM, Nwabali noted that local leagues struggle to compete with those in regions like Europe, South Africa, and Morocco.
“In West Africa, our leagues are not as good. We all want to move to Europe, South Africa, or Morocco,” he said.
The goalkeeper pointed to inconsistent salaries, weak league structures, and limited financial incentives as key issues. According to him, only a handful of clubs offer decent pay, leaving many players with little choice but to seek careers abroad.
Nwabali also highlighted deeper systemic problems, including poor player welfare, inadequate training facilities, and lack of proper organization within leagues. These shortcomings, he explained, reinforce the perception that West African football is substandard compared to more developed competitions.
He stressed that meaningful improvements—such as better infrastructure, reliable salary payments, and stronger sponsorship deals—are essential to elevating the leagues and retaining top talent within the region.
His remarks add to ongoing conversations about the need to reform and invest in domestic football across West Africa to unlock its full potential.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
