Nigerian Football at a Crossroads (2)

By Gesinde Adedeji Amosa

There is already a development that should be incorporated into the reform discussion. The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) recently secured a three-year, $7.5 million sponsorship deal with EUROMATCH, valued at $2.5 million per season, with 60 per cent of the annual sponsorship revenue designated for the 20 participating clubs. One of the stated objectives is to improve players’ wages and welfare.

This is encouraging, but the reform must go further. Commercial success must be accompanied by financial transparency. If clubs receive money from league sponsorship, there should be clear reporting on how much each club receives, how much goes to players, and how the funds are spent on salaries, bonuses, medical insurance, accommodation, transportation, training facilities, youth development and club administration.

The days when footballers are the last beneficiaries of football revenue must end. The players are the product. The players are the performers. They must become major beneficiaries of the revenue their efforts generate.

Football structure in Japan

Japan offers perhaps one of the clearest lessons for Nigeria. The Japan Football Association has developed an integrated philosophy linking national teams, youth development, coach education and grassroots football. Its current Japan’s Way framework explicitly treats these areas as interconnected components of football development. Japan also operates national training centres, elite programmes, academies and structured player-development initiatives.

The J.League goes further by requiring clubs to maintain youth structures across age categories and incorporating academy development into its club-licensing framework. It has also introduced an Under-21 development competition to bridge the gap between youth and senior football.

This is exactly where Nigeria needs a revolution. We cannot continue discovering a talented 17-year-old today and expecting him to become a world-class international footballer tomorrow without a properly structured development pathway.

Football governance in England

England provides another important lesson. The Football Governance Act 2025 established an Independent Football Regulator designed to improve financial sustainability, protect clubs and give supporters a greater voice in football governance.

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Nigeria should similarly ask: Who protects Nigerian clubs from financial collapse? Who protects players from unpaid salaries? Who ensures that clubs meet minimum financial and infrastructure standards? Who protects supporters? Who ensures that sponsorship money reaches the clubs and footballers for whom it was generated?

These questions should form part of the reform agenda.

NFF and NFA: What is in a name?

The reform also offers an opportunity to revisit the perennial debate about the identity and structure of Nigerian football administration. Should the national governing body remain the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), or should there be a return to the Nigeria Football Association (NFA)?

The name itself is not the real issue. What matters is what the institution represents and how it operates. A beautifully named federation with weak governance will achieve nothing. A properly structured association with transparent finances, competent professionals, strong development systems and genuine stakeholder participation can transform football, regardless of its name.

Let us not waste the reform on semantics. Change the system, not merely the signboard.

Reform at state football associations

A national football reform that stops at Abuja will fail. State football associations are the bridge between national administration and grassroots football. Yet an important question must be asked: what does a State FA actually do to develop football?

Every State FA should be required to produce an annual football development plan covering grassroots football, school competitions, women’s football, youth leagues, coaching education, referee development, football academies, local government competitions, talent identification, club development, infrastructure and financial accountability.

A State FA should not exist simply to conduct elections and participate in NFF politics. Its primary responsibility must be to develop football.

Local governments’ involvement in football development

Nigeria has 774 local government areas (LGAs). Imagine a properly organised national grassroots football system beginning in every local government. Each LGA should run Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 competitions linked to State FA structures and, ultimately, to national development programmes.

That would create a genuine football pyramid: local government competitions feeding into state and regional competitions, followed by national youth leagues, the NPFL and NPFL2, national teams and, ultimately, international football.

This is how Nigeria can turn its enormous population and natural football talent into a sustainable football economy.

Revival of school football

Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of Nigerian football is that the country has gradually disconnected the sport from the school system. There was a time when school football produced some of Nigeria’s finest talents. The reform must restore that connection.

The ministry responsible for education, the National Sports Commission, the NFF, State FAs and school-sports authorities should establish a unified national school football programme. Every child should have a pathway. Every talented child should have an opportunity. Every school should know where its promising players can progress.

Coaches and referees are not second-class stakeholders

Nigeria cannot build world-class football with poorly supported coaches and referees. The reform must establish a national framework covering coach education, referee education, sports science, medical support, data analysis and talent identification.

Licensing must be meaningful. Appointments must be merit-based. Continuous professional development should be compulsory, and refereeing must be protected from political interference.

Coaches and referees are essential to the development and integrity of the game. Their welfare, training and professional growth must therefore be central to the reform agenda.

NFF media’s role

Public communication cannot be ignored. During periods of crisis, silence creates a vacuum that others may fill with rumours, allegations and misinformation.

A modern football federation needs a professional communications department capable of publishing audited information, explaining policies, responding to legitimate criticism, communicating decisions, promoting achievements, protecting the institution’s reputation, managing crises and maintaining direct communication with supporters.

A media team must not exist only to publish victory photographs and congratulatory messages. The real test of a communications department is how it communicates when the institution is under pressure.

A publication of Sports Liveth.