Chairman of the Interim Management Committee of the Nigeria Prmier League (NPL), Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye says that Nigerian clubs are not good enough to win continental titles, and advises teams in continental competitions to recruit some players from outside Nigeria to bolster their squads.
The former member of the House of Representatives who disclosed this in an interview with Sports Salsa on Kennis 104.1FM said all the clubs that qualified to represent Nigeria in the next CAF club competitions need to beef up their teams if they are to make any meaningful impact in the CAF champions league and Confederation Cup.
Elegbeleye while highlighting the achievements of the IMC said the body has been able to align the Nigerian league with that of CAF and Europe, pointing out that hopefully, the next football season will kick off by August 26/27 this year and end in May 2024 in a regular league season and Nigerians will be able to see the matches on TV.
“Competing in the continent means you must buy good players. The current crop of players in Enyimba, Remo Stars and Rivers United are not there yet, they are not very good enough to win the title, compare with the likes of Al Ahly, Raja Casablanca and TP Mozambe,” Elegbeleye, a former Director General of National Sports Commission stated.
“They must look for good players within and outside Nigeria. They should be able to go to Ghana, Senegal and other countries to recruit good players to prosecute their continental engagements and excel.”
On the N100 million prize won by Enyimba International FC, Elegbeleye said that there are conditions attached to how the money which has already been paid to the Aba team that won the Super Six of the abridged league would be spent to better the club’s participation in CAF champions league.
Elegbeleye added: “The prize money is not meant to be paid into the club’s account, but be used to develop the club in areas of recruitment, facilities and players’ welfare. We expect them to use N25 million to beef up the team, and another N25 million in addition to their government support be used to develop the stadium to be able to host international matches before their home fans.
“The balance of N50 million will be used to improve the welfare of both old and new players, and the IMC will do constant monitoring and know which players were bought and how much they are paid. Facilities will also be checked from time to time,” the Ondo State-born administrator stated.
Honourable Elegbeleye also revealed that the IMC has fulfilled the mandate given to IMC to bring football back on television, adding that was why it began with NTA and that after a series of meetings with Super Sports, they agreed to begin with the Super Six competition.
“I am glad to say it was a huge success,” he said of the NPL games on television.
He also thumbed up the referees for performing well throughout the season, adding that it was because the IMC paid their entitlements before games. He divulged that the incidences of crowd disturbances at matches were absent because of the deduction of points as punishment for any crowd trouble.
The IMC is expected to submit a comprehensive report of the football season to the Nigeria Football Federation on Monday in Abuja.
