Unquantifiable Impacts of Elegbeleye Led NPFL Board and Club Representatives Trajectory in CAF Tournaments

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) board, under the leadership of Chairman Hon.Gbenga Elegbeleye has been described as the most Impactful tenure whose structure will serve as a basis for future prospects.

The Ondo born astute football administrator started initially as Interim Management Committee chairman from 2022, then board chairman from July 2023 has been credited with significant improvements in league administration, financial management, and infrastructure.

A cursory look at Key Achievements & Scorecard in the last 3 and half years

Financial Incentives

The board increased prize money for the league champion to ₦200 million for the 2024/25 season, up from ₦150 million, with a goal to improve financial stability for clubs.
Takeoff Grants Provided ₦10 million to each NPFL club as a takeoff grant to assist with operational costs.

Broadcast and Digital Upgrades

Re-introduced live television broadcasts and partnered with Propel Sports, NTA, Africa for streaming, with cameras deployed to multiple venues to ensure all matches are accessible.

Youth Development

Initiated the NPFL Youth League to foster young talent, with plans for an NPFL All-Star team to tour Spain and an emphasis on integrating youth academies into senior teams.

Improved Officiating & Discipline

Implemented stricter enforcement of rules, including sanctions (points deduction, fines) for clubs involved in crowd violence and poor treatment of officials.

Calendar Alignment

Successfully aligned the league calendar with international schedules, featuring a structured, uninterrupted season.

Player Welfare

Pushing for a ₦1 million minimum salary for NPFL players to enhance the league’s quality and retain talent.

Future Innovations

The board is actively working on introducing Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, with referees already sent for training and workshops in Morocco and the introduction is in pipeline

The Elegbeleye-led board has received praises from stakeholders for raising the bar in football management, leading to the extension of their tenure until September 2026.

Performance of club representatives at the continental tournaments such as CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup is largely caused by club management and not the league board as erroneously projected by purveyors of evil.

Poor performance of Nigerian clubs in CAF competitions stems from structural, financial, and administrative failures, including reliance on inconsistent government funding, poor player welfare (unpaid salaries), high turnover of players, and weak infrastructure.

These factors, combined with lack of technological preparation, and inadequate youth development, hinder competitiveness against better-structured North African teams whose teams are largely private oriented owned.

Key factors responsible for the poor performance include:
Financial Instability and Ownership: Most clubs are government-owned, leading to bureaucratic bottlenecks, inconsistent funding, and lack of professional management.

Poor Player Welfare and Retention: Unpaid salaries, bonuses, and allowances cause low morale. Top talent often leaves for better opportunities abroad, forcing teams to rebuild frequently.

Infrastructure Deficits: Poor quality stadiums, lack of training facilities, and inadequate medical support prevent optimal performance.

Constant Rebuilding: Clubs often change coaches and sell key players immediately after qualifying for or during, continental campaigns, destroying team cohesion.

Weak Youth Development: A lack of structured, consistent youth academies limits the depth of talent available to clubs.

Poor Officiating

Issues within the domestic league, such as poor officiating, contribute to a low-quality competitive environment that does not prepare teams for the high standards of CAF competitions.

These issues, combined with better investment in infrastructure and technical staff by teams in North Africa and South Africa, have led to the decline of Nigerian representatives in continental football.

Club management should look beyond domestic success and strengthening their team to rival their counterparts in the continent as other European teams who don’t thrive well in UEFA competitions never put accusing fingers on their league management but work on club structure and retain their best legs with good pay.