Remo Stars FC of Ogun State is presently one of the top club side parading young players. Since their emergence as a league side, the team has continue to feed its ideology of players development and youthfulness philosophy .
The Chairman of the Club, Hon. Kunle Soname in 2015 made the headlines by being the first Nigerian to own a top European Football Club.
The business mogul purchased 70% of the club deal which made him the owner of Portuguese side, Club Derpostivo Feirense.
It was one of the biggest story the Nigerian football ideology will produce in century. Much so, many future are secured through this unprecedented efforts.
The deal according to him will create a viable platform for players transfer, training for officials and administrators which in the long run will expand the horizon of development of people involved and the Nigeria football system at large.
The Ikene born business tycoon speaking recently at the Gateway United’s Stakeholders Forum in Abeokuta bemoaned the poor structure and less enterprising status of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Startling! As a football investor, Hon. Soname noted, the league is a waste of time, energy, resources and money as he said he will rather focus on the development of players than any financial gains from owing a club in the Nigeria League.
Remo Stars is one of the few private owned club in the Nigeria top league, if a private football investor would bear such remarks on the league, what tale would state Government which owns bunch of the top flight sides comment, A total waste of tax payers money.
The common cliché of Government business is not a business would justify the fact that no state government has really earned significant economic benefits from their owned club.
The handwriting of the Remo Stars Chief indicates that Nigeria League does not or never commensurate the investment being expended on it.
The Remo Stars Chief noted that his team has been in the NPFL twice and on both occasion were relegated.
Neither rocket science or magic is the effort needed to transform the league. The insincerity of the administrators which will drive the transformation is missing and there is no two way about that.
Quite different, Chief Soname confirmed he has sent 14 young boys to Europe in the last 4 years. It is indeed a narrative changing focus as no team ever come close to that transfer record.
The fire brigade approach and unprofessional direction of the league has render many of the club sides less productive.
With or without sponsor, how weighty would the compensation of Premier League teams after their participation in a league season and how much will the transfer of 14 players to Europe with clauses of agreement attached would earn a team. Glaring is the difference.
The Soname’s comment further established the notion of wrong people handling the league.
Football is a business and should have it’s interest being protected at all times. The game has grown beyond mere rhetorics and now have significant effect in economic might of a society. What we are missing as a country through sport could not be quantified.
Apart from few, none of the Government owned club sides have a legacy of accountability or transparency even as Government subvention continue to fall into the club year in year out.
Recently, a newly inaugurated management of a state owned club complained bitterly after taking over the club. It was noted that the club only owned 7 players among all the players serving the club, while others are loaned players. It comes to mind that as a Government owned team that never pay taxes, pay for stadium, why should getting best legs services for a team proved so demanding.
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result is considered witless, so much that an unpackaged league may never be rewarding.
While we watch keenly when the league will live up to its best, development of players will continue to provide succour for whoever among the football investors thought it wise to prioritized.
Yemi Sodeeq