Former Chairman of Gombe United Football Club, Ahmed Gara-Gombe, has launched a scathing attack on the state of Nigerian football, alleging that match-fixing, poor governance and inadequate infrastructure—not prize money—remain the biggest obstacles to the growth of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
Speaking to journalists during a media briefing in Abuja, on Saturday, Gara-Gombe argued that the National Sports Commission’s (NSC) proposed ₦2 billion prize money for NPFL champions would have little impact unless fundamental structural problems were addressed.
According to him, increasing prize money without fixing the league’s governance, infrastructure, refereeing and commercial framework amounts to “putting the cart before the horse.”
“You can offer ₦10 billion in prize money, but without the fundamentals, the league will still struggle,” he said.
Gara-Gombe claimed that corruption in match officiating remains widespread, alleging that clubs routinely attempt to influence referees.
He recounted an incident from two or three seasons ago where, according to him, one club allegedly paid match officials ₦3 million before a league game, only for the opposing club to reportedly increase the payment to ₦5 million to secure victory.
He also alleged that supporters often attack referees because they believe officials failed to honour illicit agreements reached before matches.
“How do you expect to produce credible winners under these circumstances? We have to fix refereeing first,” he said.
The former club administrator further alleged that some football administrators have built careers around manipulating league matches.
“There are people in Nigerian football whose only profession is match-fixing. That is all they know. They move from one club to another, not to develop football but to influence matches,” he alleged.
Gara-Gombe called for Nigeria to criminalise match-fixing, arguing that football regulations alone are insufficient to deter offenders.
“In Europe, beyond football sanctions, people can go to jail for fixing matches. Nigeria also needs criminal laws against match-fixing if we are serious about cleaning up the game,” he said.
He also questioned the rationale behind announcing huge prize money while many clubs still lack basic facilities.
According to him, most NPFL clubs do not own ambulances or even maintain standard medical facilities at their stadiums, relying instead on nearby hospitals or the Red Cross whenever they host matches.
He described infrastructure as the league’s biggest challenge, noting that only the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo currently meets both CAF and FIFA standards.
Gara-Gombe recalled that El-Kanemi Warriors were forced to play their CAF Confederation Cup home matches in Ikenne, Ogun State, because their home ground failed CAF inspection.
He equally criticised the state of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, saying that despite significant investments in renovations over the years, the facility has struggled to meet continental standards.
The former Gombe United chairman also questioned the commercial foundation of the domestic league, asking how the proposed ₦2 billion prize money would be funded.
He recalled that the league reportedly received about ₦3 billion in sponsorship from SuperSport during the tenure of the current NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, as chairman of the League Management Company, and questioned what lasting impact that investment had on the league.
“We must tell ourselves the truth and ask ourselves the right questions. Is this money a grant, an investment or what exactly?” he asked.
Gara-Gombe further blamed the Club Owners Association for frustrating reforms in Nigerian football, recalling that attempts to implement stricter CAF club licensing requirements—including financial guarantees, proper corporate governance and improved player welfare—were resisted through court actions.
He said Kano Pillars was, at the time, the only club that fully complied with the new licensing requirements before legal challenges stalled implementation across the league.
Turning to the forthcoming Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) elections, Gara-Gombe described the process as one that has become synonymous with controversy for more than four decades.
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According to him, every election cycle is characterised by court cases, accusations and threats of FIFA sanctions, only for the same issues to disappear after the elections before resurfacing four years later.
He accused many football stakeholders of selective criticism.
“The biggest problem is hypocrisy. People remain silent when their interests are protected. They only find their voices when those interests are no longer served,” he said.
Gara-Gombe maintained that unless Nigeria addresses governance, infrastructure, commercial development, refereeing, player welfare and accountability, no amount of prize money would transform the domestic league into a competitive championship capable of rivaling Africa’s best.
