League is suffering a lack of commitmen

Former Eagles and Rangers International defender, Kingsley Obiekwu, has expressed disappointment at the state of decay that is being experienced in the Nigerian Premier League (NPL).

The defender, who played both in the local league before travelling abroad, compared the league in his time to the present. “In those days, the league we had was at least occupied by committed people; both the players and their all those involved,” he said. “Everybody worked together to make sure that things went well. We had better league games and we were able to bring the crowd to the stadiums to watch us play. Now money has taken an importance that league managers do not care about the enjoyment which the spectators would want. Can you imagine the players not being paid their allowances? How do you expect to get the best out of them? I hear that some of them are even owed sign on fees for the past two years. Some of the players get their daily bread from this, and when a man is thinking of where to get that, you can expect his attention to be divided.”

The players too

He also blamed the attitude of some of the players, accusing some of not being committed. “I hear that when they are paid their allowance some of the players decide to stay away and not come for training,” he said. “When you do not train, you will not be able to give your best.” Obiekwu also gave suggestions on what the NPL can do to bring in more spectators. “There is the need for a reorientation of our mentality,” he said. “Not everything should be about money. I think the NPL should put modalities in place that would encourage each party to any agreement in the league to stick to their part of the bargain. We do not want our players to become beggars on the streets. Some of these players are not there for the love of the game and that is why they may not able to give their all. If you are expecting something you need to give up some other things. With persistence, you will find out that you will end up getting all that you want; success, fame and fortune.”

Source:234next