The Federal Government has engaged stakeholders in the football ecosystem on the trajectory that will lead to the growth of the game.
This was disclosed by the Director, Press and Public Relations of the Sports Ministry, Mohammed Manga following the meeting between the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh and football stakeholders at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Friday.
Some of the participants with the minister include the management of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Nigeria Premier Football League ( NPFL), Club Owners’ Association, and the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA).
Senator Enoh said it was pertinent to hold the meeting, owing to the fact that there is need to improve the game of football in the country, especially from the angle of the match officials and operations of the clubs.
He stated: “Government has been working assidously with the key stakeholders in the industry with a view to ensuring the development of football in the country through the introduction of viable initiatives, policies and programmes.”
The Minister also expressed his disappointment over the exclusion of Nigerian referees from the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated for next year (January).
Consequently, he admonished the leadership of Nigerian football to address the issue, stressing that they should “look inward and reorganize the state of football for the benefit of the nation.”
Senator Enoh maintained: “Football in Nigeria cannot be said to be developing if our referees are excluded from international tournaments year in, year out; stressing that the Ministry is concerned about this – we are concerned because this does not spell well for the reputation of our nation.”
He stated further: “The bitter experience from CAF, which is the exclusion of Nigerian officials for AFCON, should be treated as a lesson to improve the conduct and operations of the management of our round leather game to ensure the development of our league. We are in this sorry state because of what had happened in the past, but it is incumbent on us to take action points from our deliberations and define the future of our game. We must put our house in order internally before we focus on the external determinants of our reputation.”
Senator Enoh, while emphasizing the duty of the participants in the development of football in the country, he revealed that the current administration is bound to elevate sports from regular activities to employment opportunities.
This, he said, will eradicate poverty and ‘ensure inclusiveness of women in sports with a view to contributing meaningully to the promotion of unity and safety in the country.’
“Clubs have a responsibility to scale up their operation to a professional level, where the welfare and insurance of players, club licensing compliance, security, infrastructure, contract matters and others are treated in accordance with international best practices,” the Sports Minister explained.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary in charge of the Federal Ministries of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar had earlier in the gathering revealed that ‘the meeting was conveyed as a follow-up to the Minister’s earlier engagement with the stakeholders to further provide the wider opportunity to brainstorm on issues surrounding the development of the round leather game in the country.’
Alhaji Abubakar admonished the leadership of all the stakeholders present to commit national interests over individual interests.
He added: “They should ensure they provide the meeting with relevant contributions that will help in driving the development of football in line with the policy thrust of the present administration.
“The Ministry will continue to provide the necessary administrative support to ensure the development of all sports in Nigeria for the benefit of our teeming youth as well as for the socio-economic growth of the nation.”
In the same vein, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau said that the Federation has taken some initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency of the country’s referees as it has brought in younger generation to take up officiating roles.
Alhaji Gusau added: “NFF has the vision to ensure that those who will earn FIFA refereeing badge in the country henceforth should be relevant on the international stage for a long time.”
