ABEOKUTA – Remo Stars FC Owner, Otunba Kunle Soname, has expressed disappointment over the financial state of the Nigerian league, stating that local clubs cannot compete with the likes of South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns due to lack of funding.
Soname spoke on Monday while reacting to the dismal performance of his team against South Africa’s giant, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the first leg of the CAF Champions League qualifier.
Mamelodi Sundowns whitewashed the Ikenne-based side 5-1 on Sunday at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Kuto, Abeokuta.
Soname blamed poor funding of the league and the inability of Nigerian clubs to retain their best players.
He said, “Nigerian clubs can’t retain their best players every season. The best players in our league today won’t be here next season — those teams will come and buy them. So, how do you expect us to compete?
“There isn’t enough money in our league to compete. Players in the Nigerian league earn #500,000, #700,000, or maybe a maximum of #800,000 monthly.
“Meanwhile, you’re playing against clubs where players earn $4000 to $5000. On the balance of probability, they will beat you 7 out of 10 times because they have better-quality players.”
He posited that football in Nigeria can only be successful if it is driven by the private sector.
According to him, day-to-day running of football business by government is not sustainable, saying the government can only intervene through development fund to galvanize the league and save the situation.
“We like to see more of private sector players in club football. Because we firmly believe that it is the way to go. 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. No. It is not sustainable. That is why we are where we are today. If our clubs were private sector driven, we would have been far ahead.
“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?. So it’s a dilemma.
“So as it is, we are still waiting. Another way is, federal government might just decide that it wants to be serious about football and decide to give a development fund to the game, say N10 billion or N20 billion, just like they did in Nollywood. Such intervention can help if it is properly managed.
