*Even Russian league is on despite hosting mundial
One of the saddest and gravest decisions ever taken by the Amaju Pinnick-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is the ‘killing off’ of all the leagues in the nation for the period of the World Cup. The rationale that informed the decision remains to be logically placed given that the league in Russia, the host nation of the World Cup is still ongoing.
Information reaching www.gongnews.net shows that all the tiers of the nation’s football league were ordered to be shut down while the World Cup is going on. This decision also shows the lack of football knowledge, depth and understanding of the dynamics of football management by the persons involved in the decision making process.
For instance, players that have been programmed since the pre-season will have to either continue training without matches. This will be at the huge expense of the teams and their funders which is about 90% government.
By the time the season is ignited again, most of the players are open and susceptible to injuries given that their body chemistry would have dropped some fitness level. This same reason is also feasible with referees.
Apart from the heavy financial incidence and the fear of losing fitness forms, there is the added fact that the teams won’t have enough room for the players to rest their bodies well enough for not just a new season but also for the continent because by the time the leagues are ending, the continental would have been on the deck.
Former Femo Scorpions FC of Eruwa striker and now a senior lecturer in exercise physiology in America who came in to the country for a short break, Professor Seyi Bakinde said, “the technical impact of the decision on the teams will never deliver the best for the clubs. The coaches and players would need to pick up the body again and reboot same. The agility, speed and balance of the players would have dipped.”
He rhetorically asked, “who for God’s sake took this ignoble decision? Why did they have to stop the leagues? Certainly, may be for some other factors beyond the World Cup. The decision is certainly not correct.”
Leagues affected by the decision include the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), the Nationwide Football League (NFL), Nationwide League One (NLO).
A Lagos-based financial adviser, Bambo Oloyede, estimated that the entire clubs in the league would be sharing the financial burden of about N3.82billion for the one month period that the leagues have been suspended. These are clubs which are already prostrate and their burdens are now extended due to a terrible decision.”(Gongnews)