By IKENWA NNABUOGOR
The major dramatis personae in the round leather game are the players but in the Nigerian local league, coaches take the driver’s seat in terms of good pay, respect, affluence and presidential treatment, players settle for crumbs.
In truth, players, whom are supposed to be kingly treated just like elsewhere where football is seen as massive business, are seen as “passengers” in the game where everything is supposed to be revolved around them.
This abnormality has lived with the football fraternity in Nigeria as old as the game itself decried remains the sorry situation concerning Nigerian local league players. This anomaly has got football enthusiasts wondering how football got to where it’s here in this clime and how we got it so, so wrong.
In major climes where football is big business, players are the principal actors and are treated as much because without the players, there’s clearly no football.
Individuals, corporate bodies, governments, businessmen invest good money into football mainly because of players and not the coaches. Players bring in the money for these investors through revenues from players’ transfers, sponsorships, image rights and product advertisements. In Europe, football is truly a massive business.
Questions have been raised why coaches in the local league earn more money than the players, live comfortably, cruise in luxury cars, with other perks of office including the fast women and the players pick the crumbs.
Sadly, players live at the mercies of these mega earning coaches and most times their successes are tied to the whims and caprices of these coaches. Bad news if a player is in the coach’s bad books, moving to another club or leaving the shores of the tough clime could only just be the only escape route.
The said player could reach the pinnacle of his career when he moves abroad to be appreciated by the better professionally run leagues that are player-oriented.
The local league coaches command respect, clout, connection as they have direct access to government, which are 95% owners of football clubs in Nigeria.
What about accommodation? Nigerian players are the worse hit! The players who are seen as national figures by the fans who throng the stadiums to watch their idols, are quartered in club camps and only a few manage to a largesse of club-sponsored apartments while the coaches live cozily in government-sponsored flats or hotels. Local league players deserve respect!
The earlier it’s realized the players are the main actors in the beautiful game, the better for the players, otherwise, they will continue to play servants to their masters – the coaches.
In Europe and elsewhere, clubs are owned by communities, not governments, and are financed by the millions of the members of the community.
It’s not the case here sadly. Things will continue this way as long as the government keeps owning clubs and the players will continue playing second fiddle.
But there could be a little light at the end of the tunnel. The lights, though, still dimming and hope of shining brightest in future is still unknown, things have changed a lot better.
Clubs have become a little better professionally managed with players’ welfare getting better but not yet in the touching distance of the coaches’ whose noses are still unchallenged in the front.
Generally, it’s still very poor compared to what the coaches take home and this trend will continue to linger unless a football “revolution” is staged to stop this anomaly.
