New dawn: Nigerian football moving in the right direction

Ahead of the new football season in Nigeria, there are signs of significant improvement in several spheres.

It is expected that pitches will wear new looks, and more will be done in terms of publicity for the league from a media point of view.

It's a fact that the football ecosystem needs an overhaul for it to be functional, but Rome was not built in a day.

As regards the major actors, players and coaches by extension, a lot is being done to ensure that everyone enjoys the benefit of what should be on offer in a topflight league.

The Nigeria Football Federation, through its Players Status and Arbitration Committee is working round the clock to eradicate the issues bothering on indebtedness.

The NFF has written to the leadership of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), the Nigeria National League, (NNL), Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), and the Nigeria Nationwide League, to ensure that the decision of the committee is binding.

To this end, any club culpable of being indebted to any footballer, will not be allowed to register new players for the new season.

Going by this decision, teams like Enyimba, El-Kanemi Warriors, Heartland, Abia Warriors, Lobi Stars, and Wikki Tourists, as well as other erring teams will not be able to register new players for the 2024/2025 season.

In his reaction to the development, FIFA Licensed Football Agent Mr. Eddie Iseri Ogbemudia, one of the voices championing for the better welfare of Nigerian players on this recent development.

He said: "When you look at the list you will observe that most of the NPFL clubs are culprit of this unlawful termination of players contract, from east, west, north to south.

"And I must commend the NFF Players Status and Arbitration Committee headed by Otunba Sunday Dele-Ajayi and all the members for rescuing Nigerian domestic league from all these acclaimed emperors who think they can do whatever they like."

"In the coming days the list will definitely increase we have some pending cases of our clients against Akwa Utd and others, especially Akwa Utd we have already made our submission before the committee, but Akwa Utd have been evading the committee meeting for over 2 months now with unreasonable excuses, I was glad when I was notified that a decision would be made on that dispute very soon. As you can see there are no sacred club in the NPFL. According to Warri slangs "you do anyhow you see anyhow"

It won't be business as usual, there's a New Dawn in Nigerian Football.

Bayo Adegboyega