The only permanent solution to restoring Nigerian football to its glorious days, and even surpassing previous performances at the continental and global levels, while reviving domestic football across all tiers of the leagues and grassroots football, is for ex-footballers to take up the gauntlet and take charge of running Nigerian football moving forward.
One of the biggest advantages of this approach stems from the very nature of the game itself as a team sport. A Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) run by ex-footballers would be open to engaging the best hands in football administration across the country in all departments of the game.
Ex-footballers are team players, anytime and any day. That quality has been ingrained in them by the very nature of football. When ex-footballers are in charge, they would naturally do everything possible to ensure that football administration does not decline because football is their primary constituency.
No future NFF President from the ex-footballers’ bloc would appoint a novice as Chairman of the NFF Technical Committee or Chairman of the Marketing and Sponsorship Committee. They would seek out the best and identify the most qualified individuals for every position on merit, without fear or favour.
No ex-footballer-controlled NFF Board would deprive national team players of their entitlements or fail to pay them as and when due, having also been victims of such corrupt practices in the past.
No ex-footballer-controlled NFF Board would pack a plane with cronies and family members for international competitions, whether the Africa Cup of Nations or the FIFA World Cup, at the expense of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Massive corruption, outright stealing and primitive accumulation of wealth would never be on the agenda of ex-footballers, who are patriots and have already dedicated themselves to the service of this great nation.
They would ensure that indigenous coaches take their rightful place in the scheme of things through proper training and retraining, while providing them with the platform and opportunities to become the best on the continent and compete at the global level.
The only pathway to resetting Nigerian football is through an ex-footballer-controlled NFF Board. All stakeholders, including the private sector and the media, would be carried along as partners in progress.
We fought for reforms to take control of Nigerian football, not to sit on the sidelines and watch charlatans take over our football again. God forbid!
Finally, congratulations to Nigeria and the national female Under-17 team! We are world champions once again. This is a good setting for the ongoing football reforms in Nigeria.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Footballers’ conferences will be held across all six geopolitical zones of the country between February and March 2027, ahead of the 2027 NFF elections. The conferences are aimed at promoting and sensitising the Footballers’ Bloc under the auspices of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN).
Prince Harrison Jalla
Chairman
Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative
Galaxy Sports Production
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