Inadequate clips to showcase 8 NPFL players, Nigerians react
by Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor, Abuja
Nigerians have reacted at the inability of the League Management Company (LMC), organisers of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), and NPFL clubs to provide sufficient footage to showcase the eight Nigerian raw talents to the world, The Trumpet gathered.
This is coming on the heels of eight Nigerian players who ply their trade in the nation’s top-flight division and were invited to the Super Eagles squad ahead of the friendlies with South American countries, Mexico and Ecuador.
The NPFL players invited among the 30-member squad list include Victor Mbaoma (Enyimba), Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba), Isah Ali (Remo Stars), Ibrahim Buhari (Plateau United), Chiamaka Madu (Rivers United), Babatunde Nosiru (Kwara United), Adewale Adeyinka (Akwa United), and Ishaq Rafiu (Rivers United).
According to the concerned Nigerians who vested their anger through Twitter after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) released a list comprising 30 Nigerian professional players on May 10, 2022, this was an avenue to showcase this crop of NPFL players to European scouts.
They pointed out that the LMC and NPFL clubs do not know the importance of highlights to showcase these players’ spectacular moments in NPFL matches which are key in promoting the country’s Premier League.
They highlighted that the LMC and NPFL clubs have done poorly in this regard, stressing that the organizations were supposed to explore the usefulness of the social media TV platform, YouTube to upload highlights of NPFL stars to the world.
In a response to a tweet by Jibola Babs, he said, “This is what some of us are clamouring for. Reels/clips of these guys. It will help people know them the more to help agents get them proper contracts in proper European leagues. The players need to invest a lot into their craft. YouTube is basically the world TV.”
Comparing the NPFL, which he described as being poorly organised, to the English Premier League (EPL), Igebina A. Oghenaogie lamented that they hardly grant pre or post-match conferences.
“The league has to be properly organized. Interview of coaches in EPL alone is enough content. Does NPFL have pre and post-match conferences? This is really a big issue,” he said.
However, Jibola Babs, also called for a total restructuring and rejigging of the system while he advised that a Conference format that includes four or eight top-flight clubs competing at the end of the league season should be adopted.
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He said, “This is why I am clamoring for a rejig, restructure and reorganization [of the system].
“Lets have a conference format and play the top 4 or 8 at the end of the season. It saves cost, time, lives, and the players’ careers by reducing incessant travel. This will help,” he added.
Meanwhile, the match scheduled to take place in the United States on the 28 of May with Mexico at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, State of Texas, and on the 2nd of June with Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, provides only 25 spaces for the players that made it into the 30-man provisional squad.
