Last weekend wasn’t exactly a memorable one for Nigerian teams on the continent.
Four clubs were involved across the two tiers of African club competitions, and not a single one recorded a victory. Two scored, while two failed to find the net. Two were knocked out, while the other two progressed to the second preliminary round, where, judging by the quality of opposition and our current standing, both could face an uphill task.
Yes, there will be matches in the Euromatch NPFL this weekend, starting tomorrow. But let’s talk about our continental struggles first. Perhaps taking a hard look at what is happening outside our shores will help us make the decisions needed to start doing things differently—or, at the very least, start doing the right things.
After the first legs of the preliminary rounds of both the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, there was genuine optimism that two of our representatives would make it comfortably into the next round, while the other two were expected to have a much tougher fight on their hands.
Surprisingly, one of those expected to struggle managed to win their battle, while the other lost theirs. Of the two considered more likely to progress, one fell by the wayside here in Nigeria, while the other did just enough to scrape through.
When Rivers United were trailing San Pedro by two goals, I was scared.
Not simply because they were on the verge of elimination, but because of what their struggle represented about the state of our football, both at club and league level.
This was a San Pedro side that we defeated 5–2 in front of their own supporters less than a decade ago. Today, one of the highest-ranked representatives from our league could not defeat them across two legs.
*We have hit rock bottom.
And this is not a Rivers United, Enyimba or Shooting Stars problem. It is a league-wide problem.
The politics around Nigerian football has drifted so far away from what happens on the pitch that we hardly stop to ask whether the way we are running the game is actually improving the quality of our football—or helping our clubs grow financially, structurally and professionally.
Poor officiating is often the biggest headline, with fingers pointed largely at administrators who are arguably complicit in the problem. But the officials themselves cannot completely distance themselves from the situation either.
We have spent so much time discussing the symptoms that the underlying disease is increasingly being ignored.
Then there is the failure of many clubs to invest adequately in proper training, modern infrastructure and the systems required to compete at a higher level.
Some of our coaches still rely heavily on outdated tactical approaches and, in some cases, superstition, while expecting to compete against teams that have incorporated technology, data and modern sports science into their daily routines and training programmes.
We have fallen far behind much of Africa in the way we approach the game.
I will not agree with those who say Nigeria no longer has talent.
We have talent.
What we have done is create a league environment that makes it increasingly difficult for that talent to develop and take the next step.
Young players would rather move to leagues outside the country, regardless of how obscure those leagues may appear, because the welfare, structure and developmental opportunities can sometimes be better than what is available to them in professional football here.
It is therefore hardly surprising that we increasingly see foreign clubs recruiting directly from academies rather than relying on the professional clubs that are supposed to be developing these players.
And perhaps that is where this recent conversation around football reforms in Nigeria becomes important.
If reforms are genuinely on the front burner, then this is an opportunity to rethink the entire ecosystem—not simply change a few faces or rearrange a few offices.
We need the right people, with the right intentions, equipped with the right ideas and the willingness to implement them, to take the reins and steer Nigerian football back towards where it once stood and, hopefully, beyond it.
Because nostalgia will not restore our continental relevance.
Old victories will not win new matches.
Our history can remind us of what is possible, but only serious work will get us there again.
We can get it done.
EnyimbaEnyi!
P.S. We wish Enugu Rangers and El-Kanemi Warriors the very best against MC Algiers and Raja Casablanca respectively. May they give us something to cheer about.
