Arsenal’s big game against Chelsea clashed with the Presidential debate on Saturday, and many Nigerians chose to rather watch the riveting game that saw the Gunners school The Blues without mercy than watch the presidential candidates debate the future of our nation.
Back in the day, our local football had this exact great hold on the hearts of Nigerian fans everywhere. Nigerians have always been wild about football, and for a time, the Nigerian league was the most captivating in the world and local clubs qualified for international events. Today, Nigerian clubs struggle internationally, and the prominent Nigeria Professional Football League is really nothing to write about anymore.
History Dive
The Nigeria League was founded in 1972, with only six teams in participation.
The now-defunct Mighty Jet of Jos, was the very first team to win the Nigerian league title in 1972.
As more teams sprung up, the need to modernize and ensure the self-propelled growth of the league arose, and thus the league’s name was changed to Professional League on the 12th of May, 1990.
Between 1999 and 2007, the top four clubs in the league were grouped into the Super Four and would play at neutral sites at the end of the season to determine who the real champion was.
In 2006, the Nigeria league was again modified to fit the European season time table. In 2012, the League Management Company was founded, with the responsibility of managing the nation’s football leagues.
Clubs are ranked and placed in divisions solely on their performance. Top clubs occupy the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), which is referred to as the 1st league. Clubs that finish in last three at the end of each season are relegated to the 2nd League, which is the Nigeria National League (NNL), while teams that finish in top three of the NNL are moved up to the NPFL. The other divisions are the Nigeria Division 1 and Division 2 clubs.
In 2012, the NPFL was ranked the best league in Africa and the 24th best in the world, ahead of other prime leagues including the Scottish Premier League.
Only top clubs from the NPFL are allowed to represent the country in international events like the Confederation of African Football Champions League (CAFCL).
Seven-time NPFL champions, Enyimba International FC, won the CAFCL back-to-back, in 2003 and 2004. Only three other Nigerian clubs have ever made it to the top three; Shooting-Stars (runner-up: 1984, 1996), Heartland FC (runner-up: 1988, 2009), Enugu Rangers (runner-up: 1975).
The nation’s decade long absence from the continental championship’s top three and the continued decline in the performance of the NPFL is very distressing. This has been largely due to the poor governance and the prolonged crisis that rocked the management of the Nigeria Football Federation.
However, now that stability has returned to the NFF and league activities have begun, we hope Nigerian clubs will do better in representing the nation internationally.
Sources:
CAF Champions League, Wikipedia.
Football Clubs in Nigeria: The Full List, Nigerian Finder.
Featured image source: dailypost.ng
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