Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare has raised grave concerns on the administration of domestic football in Nigeria.
Persistently, the Nigeria Professional Football League been unable to align its calendar with that of the rest of the world due to poor management and funding.
The NFF has struggled to meet up with the deadline of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the submission of qualified clubs for continental competitions.
This season, Kwara United who were fourth on the league table were secretly seconded as substitute for the winner of the FA Cup otherwise referred to as the Aiteo Cup which was yet to be concluded.
Dare who spoke in this exclusive interview with Sportsville”s Tayo Ogunseye and Mathew Okugbe expressed his reservations on the haphazard football calendar of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) which he described as twisted.
He also revealed how Team Nigeria was able to post an unprecedented performance at the just concluded Commonwealth Games where the country won 12 gold, 9 Silver and 14 bronze medals.
Sportsville: We want to congratulate you on the feat achieved by Team Nigeria at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. It is one that Nigerians are truly elated about. Our congratulations more to you.
Sports Minister: Thank you very much. I think I’ll congratulate every Nigerian for the success of the Commonwealth Games.
Sportsville: Nigerians want to know what exactly did you do differently, or did the Ministry of sports do differently this time around to achieve this result?
Sports Minister: what we’ve tried to do in the last three years is to improve the governance structure around our sports, so such that we are able to address issues that are critical and important. What did we do differently? I think we paid attention right from the word go to the welfare of the athletes.We came up early in the day to announce that we want to see a welfare package, Athletes welfare plan. We spoke about the need to provide a financial leverage and support for our athletes and that made us come up with the Adopt-An- Athletes Programme.
While we also have the adopted facility for infrastructure, adopt an athlete programme for the athletes and we used the Olympics to test the waters. We lined up about 78 of our athletes who were at least ranked around the world in over 14 sports, including para. We developed our profile pamphlets for them.
We launched it in December 2019 inviting corporate Nigeria and other sub-national government to support it. Of course, four months after we started, COVID came and we stopped. Remember also, the sports ecosystem was one of the hardest hit, every single championship, international competitions were postponed. But as soon as COVID let off, later we resumed and were able to get close to 46 of our athletes funded and supported with $10,000 $20,000. Some in Naira some in US dollars. And that money was clearly meant for as a kind of grant, free, meant for training, meant for medical insurance just to support them. The money was paid to them directly. That’s one.
On the other hand, we brought in some incentives, we increase bonuses once you win a medal by 300% from the Olympics. For instance, para- athletes who won about 13 medals last year where the gold medalist got $15,000 in the silver medalists got $10,000. It has never happened before. We also increased allowances from 3, 500 to $6,000 when we were at the Olympics, but also I think what’s also most important is that it came to all these athletes on Team Nigeria and we moved them from one competition point to another and through the necessary qualifiers. You recall from the African Games in 2019 and then we’ll move on, we went to Serbia, went to Mauritius, went to Kenya and put them on for national trials. You know, back-to-back July last year and then this year, we had classics. So just the way it was in Athletics, so it was for Wrestling, and all of that came together. Let me say this. Whatever the outcome that we now celebrate, the kudos must go to the athletes, individually and collectively. For keeping the team spirit as Team Nigeria. We’re working together, helping each other running line against each other. That was very important. Secondly, each one of them logged in hours and hours of training. Each of them had gone into so many competitions almost burning up, each one of them is a true champion.
Sportsville: Nigerians would also love to know how sustainable is this achievement going forward?
Sports Minister: Well, its very sustainable, because first look at the past that came together. focus must be on the athletes, focus must be on their welfare. Secondly, we must make sure that we present these athletes for as many competitions as possible and qualifiers as the case maybe, you know, they said Iron sharpen iron. when they compete against others from other countries who also run competitive time. It makes them really, really good and enhance their skills. But also I think that continue to enjoy the financial support of the federal government in terms of increased budgets and budgeting in for sports development and for competitions we have. Finally, I think that rolling over the Adopt-An-Athlete initiative would help. Imagine if they get another second year of financial support from a Adopt-An-Athlete and then they get another one in the Olympics. Yeah. So in the original plan, is the rollover. We hope that we’ll be able to get them some content all the way to France 2024 Olympics.
Sportsville: Nigerians would love to know why Team Nigeria’s contingent was unable to have a uniform kits as the games it became more of an issue?
Sports Minister: It’s not an issue. People are making a mountain out of a molehill. Exactly two weeks before we departed, about 300 to 350 complete kits were delivered to the Minister of Youth and Sports development. I saw the first contingent, every single person on that continent had their kits on. The pictures were all in the media. People just want to play on an old story. You understand what I’m saying? We gave every Federation these kits, almost a 10-item kits. Now, you must understand this. There is the Team Nigeria general kit, which the ministry is responsible for. If we take 100 people, 100 athletes, 120 athletes, we have to provide those general kits, the ministry procure them, that and it was delivered two weeks ahead of time. You had the track suits. It had the pollo shirts, it had stockings, it had sneakers, it had a backpack, it had a roller, everything was intact. It was shared. Now to the second kits is the equipment and Sport wear for each. These are specialised, what the wrestlers wear for competition is different from what the track and field athletes wear. That distinction is always there. We have always said this. The ministry releases money directly to the Federations, the Federation goes to procure it, they negotiate with manufacturers, and they agree on the type they want, the colour they want and the delivery time, that’s out of the purview of the ministry. So various federations have different delivery time. What’s important is that the kits are delivered before the athletes compete. So the BBC story, the AFP story were faulted it. We refuted it. We came up very strongly against it. And I was there in Birmingham. Every single kit for every Federation, the last was delivered was five days or for even four days before competition. There’s nothing wrong with that. So this idea that we don’t have kits, you know, some people are fueling it and I reject it. Because this is not factual at all. Not factual.
Sportsville: Let’s talk about the NFF election. We also want you to give us an insight into the role the ministry intends to play to ensure that we have a smooth process that will be free of rancour & court cases after the winners emerged. What exactly is your stance or what is the position of the ministry as we begin to plan ahead of the election in September?
Sports Minister: Well, first when it comes to court cases after federation elections, It does become almost a norm. Nobody, nobody can stop anyone from going to court. I will say that. More often, than not just the NFF, the Badminton Federation, several other Federations’ people do really go to court. You can’t stop a riot of people not to go to court to challenge a process that they think was unfair to them. So I’m not worried about what court cases will come. We hope that the elections will go smoothly. But also what’s our position? I think the government position is been made clear in the letter that was written several weeks back, in which I conveyed Mr President’s directive, clearly to make sure that at the end of the expiration of that tenure that you know, you’re expected to conduct an election. If there are any encumbrances. It’s important to get them out of the way. Those that went to court came up clearly and said, Look, we’re going to take the case out of court, they’ve taken the necessary steps I think the statutes is very clear about the President’s election. The Electoral committee, the Appeals committee. So like I said, we’re expecting that the NFF will do the right thing. We have already conveyed the expectations of the ministry. The expectation of the federal government, the expectations of Nigerians is also that the NFF does what is right, like I’ve said repeatedly, we’re watching very closely. We’re watching very closely. We’re walking the fine line also. Because we know that football is very important. We know that the transition time again is very important to what happens eventually. Also quite a number of people who are interested. This time we have quite a number of potential candidates. So we hope Nigerians will be satisfied with the outcome.
Sportsville: on the domestic scene, our football, the FA Cup which is the Aiteo Cup and the leagues have not been able to cut the confidence that Nigerians desire.Can you tell us how you feel concerning our football this season?
Sports Minister: I’ll just tell you what my concern is. Across the world, you have the league rounding up and then you have the FA Cup season coming almost immediately. So my concern is that, the calendaring in our football system is so twisted, it’s so unreliable. There’s no fixed calendar. We are out of sync with other football countries around the world on systems. and look at it if EPL doesn’t use calendar, if the La Liga doesn’t fix a calendar, so you know what it is it’s disruptive, but it also turns away a lot of sponsors because they need to budget and they want a calendar that is precise. That timing is important. So that’s been my major concern. And you see, once you don’t have that calendaring view, you will run into a lot of trouble. And that’s what we’re seeing that is happening right now. Because there are CAF deadlines that you have to meet which is very important. So in terms of administration of our league, that’s also been an issue, you know, consistently. A lot of football stakeholders have raised concerns about the Nigeria Professional Premier League. As it is, I know there’s a critical problem with finance. You been able to get the money to fund it. You see when you sit back if the right things are done, if you make the the league attractive, the sponsors will show up and that attractiveness comes with proper enforcement, you run a regime of licencing, regime of financing that is enforced to the letter where the rules are applied to Team A is not different from the rule that applies to Team B, where on calendars, a level of objectivity and tabula rasa for all teams, where teams don’t have to worry whether they need to do something extra to win an election. So the sponsors also, they look for ethics, they look for some level of stability, they look for some level of transparency. Now, if you don’t get that, the funds are not going to come. Government also wants to see that the system is working. And that’s what’s been lacking. We all know about it, and why it’s so difficult to enforce? Why it’s so difficult? I have said it, if it’s going to remain just five teams that will be fully compliant. And you see, the welfare of the players are critical. You should be able to guarantee the salaries of the players throughout the year. Now, most clubs are owned by government. I want to see a situation where private people owning clubs, but all comes to a fact that they do want to see a regime of enforcement that is in place, that is at par with what you find elsewhere around the world. And I hope that very soon we’re going to get to that point and then we can now have the corporate bodies open up their purses and their budget to provide us the financial support we needed.
Sportsville:Alright, on a cheerful note, the Falconets won their first match beating France at the ongoing U-20 World Cup in the early hours of Friday. What’s your message to the girls?
Sports Minister: You know I saw them when they played matches at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, I met coach Chris Danjuma , I chatted with most of the girls. I have seen them back to back in the last two years each time they are in Abuja camping.i made sure I visited them. I have no doubt in my mind that they are going to be great football ambassador of our country.of course we saw the dexterity and the skills they displayed. I just want to wish them the best. Millions of football-loving Nigerians are praying for them, rooting for them, cheering for them as they take on their next opponents I’m sure that they would excel. I have no doubt in my mind.This country has always done excellently well at this levels and we believe in them these are our future stars and our success stories begins now.