Nigerian football at a crossroads (2)

By Gesinde Adedeji Amosa

There is already a development that should be incorporated into the reform discussion. The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) recently secured a three-year, $7.5 million sponsorship deal with EUROMATCH, valued at $2.5 million per season, with 60 per cent of the annual sponsorship revenue designated for the 20 participating clubs. One of the stated objectives is to improve players’ wages and welfare.

This is encouraging, but the reform must go further. Commercial success must be accompanied by financial transparency. If clubs receive money from league sponsorship, there should be clear reporting on how much each club receives, how much goes to players, and how the funds are spent on salaries, bonuses, medical insurance, accommodation, transportation, training facilities, youth development, and club administration.

The days when footballers are the last beneficiaries of football revenue must end. The players are the product. The players are the performers. They must become major beneficiaries of the revenue their efforts generate.

Football structure in Japan

Japan offers perhaps one of the clearest lessons for Nigeria. The Japan Football Association has developed an integrated philosophy linking national teams, youth development, coach education and grassroots football. Its current Japan’s Way framework explicitly treats these areas as interconnected components of football development. Japan also operates national training centres, elite programmes, academies and structured player-development initiatives.

The J.League goes further by requiring clubs to maintain youth structures across age categories and incorporating academy development into its club-licensing framework. It has also introduced an Under-21 development competition to bridge the gap between youth and senior football.

This is exactly where Nigeria needs a revolution. We cannot continue discovering a talented 17-year-old today and expecting him to become a world-class international footballer tomorrow without a properly structured development pathway.

Football governance in England

England provides another important lesson. The Football Governance Act 2025 established an Independent Football Regulator designed to improve financial sustainability, protect clubs and give supporters a greater voice in football governance.

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Nigeria should similarly ask: Who protects Nigerian clubs from financial collapse? Who protects players from unpaid salaries? Who ensures that clubs meet minimum financial and infrastructure standards? Who protects supporters? Who ensures that sponsorship money reaches the clubs and footballers for whom it was generated?

These questions should form part of the reform agenda.

NFF and NFA: What is in a name?

The reform also offers an opportunity to revisit the perennial debate about the identity and structure of Nigerian football administration. Should the national governing body remain the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), or should there be a return to the Nigeria Football Association (NFA)?

The name itself is not the real issue. What matters is what the institution represents and how it operates. A beautifully named federation with weak governance will achieve nothing. A properly structured association with transparent finances, competent professionals, strong development systems and genuine stakeholder participation can transform football, regardless of its name.

Let us not waste the reform on semantics. Change the system, not merely the signboard.

READ MORE: Nigerian Football at a Crossroads (2) – Sporting Tribune