The way forward for Nigeria's Football

One thing that really unites Nigerians irrespective of class is football. So far, the way we run our football has been in fits and starts.

The problem is government

interference. The same problem of corruption bedeviling our politics is the problem with our football.

The moment our football is seen as a business with a life of itself, the problems become less and different from what we have today.

One advantage of making it a legal entity is to wean it of political turbulence such that irrespective of whatever government is in power the control of the national game continues to run smoothly.

As a business with the kind of followership it commands, commercializing it should not be rocket science.

He who pays the piper calls the tune. For so long as government funds football, political interference cannot be separated from our football.

There should be a legislation on which our football runs with funding sources stated and away from government funds.

Once it is commercialized with private funds going in, it will be easy to trace funds and how they come in and are spent.

The moment our football goes fully commercial with sponsors, it becomes attractive to football followers, officials and players.

One problem our football has is the issue of coaching.

Personally I feel, the way forward is to see the job of national coach as one for which there should be a remuneration attached to it irrespective of the colour of the coach.

The remuneration should be attractive. Paying local coaches less than foreign coaches lowers the morale and expectation from the local coach.

The coaches should be paid like the foreign coaches and judged by the same standard.

Anything short of that is to leave the local coach at the mercy of richer foreign based players.

A poorly paid coach cannot but cring before the foreign based players.

Breathe life into our football and let it, live.