The President of Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick has blamed the domestic football leagues for the dwindling fortunes of the round leather game in the country.
Speaking during a media parley in Lagos, Pinnick said football cannot grow until the leagues are revamped.
The former CAF 1st vice-president blamed the parlous state of Nigeria’s leagues on a lack of TV coverage and attendant revenues but said the Federation is working to “remedy the situation.
“Every league depends on money accruing from television rights for survival. Ours cannot be different.
“We will look at where we got it wrong and see how we can remedy the situation. Our football cannot grow to our potential if we don’t get the local league right,” he added.
It will be recalled the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) recently signed a multi-year TV deal with China’s Next TV details of which are yet to be fully revealed.
Similarly, Pinnick said the sports minister, Sunday Dare has every right to speak on the performance as the head of sports in the country. “Don’t forget the minister is the chief sports officer of the country. We don’t feel bad he spoke his mind on the state of football in Nigeria.
“We believe his intervention is bound to be a wakeup call for us and the players,” he said. He also revealed that preparations were in top gear with Nike to commence the design of new kits, starting with the 2022 World Cup qualifying matches in March.
“We’re launching a new set of kits for the World Cup qualifiers in March,” Amaju disclosed.
