REMO STARS - The privately run NPFL club shaking up the domestic scene - 24/25 NPFL CHAMPIONS

[Gotti]

CONGRATS!!!



Poster Credit: ScoreNigeria

[Lolly]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

[aruako1]

Congratulations to Remo Stars!!! Well deserved!!!

[Enugu II]

Congratulations

Love it!!! Hope this is the beginning of private clubs not only joining the NPFL but winning the title.

[Enugu II]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

SIGNED!!!!

[Cellular]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

I pray he can sustain the success.

[Enugu II]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

I pray he can sustain the success.

That is the challenge but it seems he has that all planned out given his growing academy profile and also his Portuguese club that helps to move talent from the academy to clubs in Europe. On the Nigerian end, I hope he would help to assist in the growing of other local private entities to get promoted to the league and form the majority impacting decision making (At the moment only Sporting Lagos presents the other private interest at the NPFL level if my calculation is correct). That latter issue is really important because it will assure that decision making at NPFL level caters to needs of private clubs.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Congrats to Remo Stars for a job well done.

Having said that, I wish you guys would stop dumping on State-sponsored clubs just because you favor privately owned clubs. It took the same amount of determination and hard work for Rivers United and all the other clubs that have won it in the past to win it. The success of a private club shouldn’t have to result in the demise of State-sponsored clubs, something some of you have been wishing aloud for. What every well-meaning fan should be wishing is for some of those management traits that made Remo successful to rub off on the other clubs so that collectively, this country can have a forward-looking league


Cheers.

[bret- hart]

Congrats to Remo Stars for a job well done.

Having said that, I wish you guys would stop dumping on State-sponsored clubs just because you favor privately owned clubs. It took the same amount of determination and hard work for Rivers United and all the other clubs that have won it in the past to win it. The success of a private club shouldn’t have to result in the demise of State-sponsored clubs, something some of you have been wishing aloud for. What every well-meaning fan should be wishing is for some of those management traits that made Remo successful to rub off on the other clubs so that collectively, this country can have a forward-looking league


Cheers.

Why should a club be "state sponsored" in 2025??? By now our main clubs such as Eyinmba, Rangers, Kano Pillares, Bendel Insurance, 3SC etc should have diversified and slowly but surely stop relying soley on Government for sustenance. This is why our football is so backward. Other African teams like Al Ahly, Sundowns, Esperance are adapting with the times, but Nigeria still wants to run its clubs like we are in the military era. mtchewwwww

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Congrats to Remo Stars for a job well done.

Having said that, I wish you guys would stop dumping on State-sponsored clubs just because you favor privately owned clubs. It took the same amount of determination and hard work for Rivers United and all the other clubs that have won it in the past to win it. The success of a private club shouldn’t have to result in the demise of State-sponsored clubs, something some of you have been wishing aloud for. What every well-meaning fan should be wishing is for some of those management traits that made Remo successful to rub off on the other clubs so that collectively, this country can have a forward-looking league


Cheers.

Why should a club be "state sponsored" in 2025??? By now our main clubs such as Eyinmba, Rangers, Kano Pillares, Bendel Insurance, 3SC etc should have diversified and slowly but surely stop relying soley on Government for sustenance. This is why our football is so backward. Other African teams like Al Ahly, Sundowns, Esperance are adapting with the times, but Nigeria still wants to run its clubs like we are in the military era. mtchewwwww

The only thing I got out of your rant is that you don’t know what ‘diversified’ means…


Cheers.

[bret- hart]

Congrats to Remo Stars for a job well done.

Having said that, I wish you guys would stop dumping on State-sponsored clubs just because you favor privately owned clubs. It took the same amount of determination and hard work for Rivers United and all the other clubs that have won it in the past to win it. The success of a private club shouldn’t have to result in the demise of State-sponsored clubs, something some of you have been wishing aloud for. What every well-meaning fan should be wishing is for some of those management traits that made Remo successful to rub off on the other clubs so that collectively, this country can have a forward-looking league


Cheers.

Why should a club be "state sponsored" in 2025??? By now our main clubs such as Eyinmba, Rangers, Kano Pillares, Bendel Insurance, 3SC etc should have diversified and slowly but surely stop relying soley on Government for sustenance. This is why our football is so backward. Other African teams like Al Ahly, Sundowns, Esperance are adapting with the times, but Nigeria still wants to run its clubs like we are in the military era. mtchewwwww

The only thing I got out of your rant is that you don’t know what ‘diversified’ means…


Cheers.

TonyTheGoatShagger, when I say diversified I mean having multiple revenue streams.

[Sunset]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

I pray he can sustain the success.

That is the challenge but it seems he has that all planned out given his growing academy profile and also his Portuguese club that helps to move talent from the academy to clubs in Europe. On the Nigerian end, I hope he would help to assist in the growing of other local private entities to get promoted to the league and form the majority impacting decision making (At the moment only Sporting Lagos presents the other private interest at the NPFL level if my calculation is correct). That latter issue is really important because it will assure that decision making at NPFL level caters to needs of private clubs.

Ikorodu City FC are another well run private club, even more so than Sporting Lagos IMO with how well they’ve performed this season. Leading the league with the amount of goals they’ve scored, they’re also in a position where they could qualify for a continental competitions all with a far less experienced team.

[Enugu II]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

I pray he can sustain the success.

That is the challenge but it seems he has that all planned out given his growing academy profile and also his Portuguese club that helps to move talent from the academy to clubs in Europe. On the Nigerian end, I hope he would help to assist in the growing of other local private entities to get promoted to the league and form the majority impacting decision making (At the moment only Sporting Lagos presents the other private interest at the NPFL level if my calculation is correct). That latter issue is really important because it will assure that decision making at NPFL level caters to needs of private clubs.

Ikorodu City FC are another well run private club, even more so than Sporting Lagos IMO with how well they’ve performed this season. Leading the league with the amount of goals they’ve scored, they’re also in a position where they could qualify for a continental competitions all with a far less experienced team.

Sunset

I am really hoping that one day, such privately funded clubs shall dominate the top division and wield the needed power to make decisions in order to duly protect their investment. Right now, there are some decisions that do not favor for-profit clubs. One clear one in a nation wide league is multiple games in one week which disregards the geographical expanse, travel costs, among others. If private clubs dominate the league they will most likely impact rule making with profit in mind.

[Sunset]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

I pray he can sustain the success.

That is the challenge but it seems he has that all planned out given his growing academy profile and also his Portuguese club that helps to move talent from the academy to clubs in Europe. On the Nigerian end, I hope he would help to assist in the growing of other local private entities to get promoted to the league and form the majority impacting decision making (At the moment only Sporting Lagos presents the other private interest at the NPFL level if my calculation is correct). That latter issue is really important because it will assure that decision making at NPFL level caters to needs of private clubs.

Ikorodu City FC are another well run private club, even more so than Sporting Lagos IMO with how well they’ve performed this season. Leading the league with the amount of goals they’ve scored, they’re also in a position where they could qualify for a continental competitions all with a far less experienced team.

Sunset

I am really hoping that one day, such privately funded clubs shall dominate the top division and wield the needed power to make decisions in order to duly protect their investment. Right now, there are some decisions that do not favor for-profit clubs. One clear one in a nation wide league is multiple games in one week which disregards the geographical expanse, travel costs, among others. If private clubs dominate the league they will most likely impact rule making with profit in mind.

EII

How exactly do Mid-week games not favor private clubs? Because if travel costs are a hurdle how would we expect them to compete at the continental stage if they're struggling to deal with something that's common practise around the world?

Any business has (or should have) a yearly budget on their operations and expenditures of which they allocate these things. And that's probably a big reason why the likes of Remo and Ikorodu City FC were amongst the best performers this season with their travel arrangements.

[Enugu II]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

I pray he can sustain the success.

That is the challenge but it seems he has that all planned out given his growing academy profile and also his Portuguese club that helps to move talent from the academy to clubs in Europe. On the Nigerian end, I hope he would help to assist in the growing of other local private entities to get promoted to the league and form the majority impacting decision making (At the moment only Sporting Lagos presents the other private interest at the NPFL level if my calculation is correct). That latter issue is really important because it will assure that decision making at NPFL level caters to needs of private clubs.

Ikorodu City FC are another well run private club, even more so than Sporting Lagos IMO with how well they’ve performed this season. Leading the league with the amount of goals they’ve scored, they’re also in a position where they could qualify for a continental competitions all with a far less experienced team.

Sunset

I am really hoping that one day, such privately funded clubs shall dominate the top division and wield the needed power to make decisions in order to duly protect their investment. Right now, there are some decisions that do not favor for-profit clubs. One clear one in a nation wide league is multiple games in one week which disregards the geographical expanse, travel costs, among others. If private clubs dominate the league they will most likely impact rule making with profit in mind.

EII

How exactly do Mid-week games not favor private clubs? Because if travel costs are a hurdle how would we expect them to compete at the continental stage if they're struggling to deal with something that's common practise around the world?

Any business has (or should have) a yearly budget on their operations and expenditures of which they allocate these things. And that's probably a big reason why the likes of Remo and Ikorodu City FC were amongst the best performers this season with their travel arrangements.

Sunset,

That is precisely the problem-- to assume that a practice elsewhere makes economic sense in Nigeria. Compare England to Nigeria. England is a small country comparatively with shorter travel distances and clubs may travel by air which means midweek games make sense. But does it in Nigeria? In Nugeria what is the toll traveling from Lagos to Maidugro and back and often via road? Is it comparable?

That is why midweek games do not favor private clubs in Nigeria: economics.

Nigeria is a vast country for travel, especially by road. This is similar to the problem in Brazil. Not that Nigeria is as vast as Brazil but the former is much bigger that England. Travel from Lagos to Maidugri to play a midweek game and back in Lagos to play a weekend game is taxing. This is vastly huge compared to midweek games in England, for instance. The huge distance difference must mean that simply copying what occurs in Europe will fail, especially when clubs often travel by road in Nigeria and costs via air travel are exhorbitant. In my view, a country like Nigeria may best be served economically by having the league broken down regionally to curb distances and create economic benefits. Then have winners from the regional leagues converge at a location for final games. These are simply based on economic advantages.

[TonyTheTigerKiller]

Sunset

I am really hoping that one day, such privately funded clubs shall dominate the top division and wield the needed power to make decisions in order to duly protect their investment. Right now, there are some decisions that do not favor for-profit clubs. One clear one in a nation wide league is multiple games in one week which disregards the geographical expanse, travel costs, among others. If private clubs dominate the league they will most likely impact rule making with profit in mind.

EII,

The stakes are exactly the same for State-sponsored clubs as they are for privately owned clubs. The logistics of prosecuting league games isn’t any easier for State-sponsored clubs


Cheers.

[Sunset]

Congrats to Remo Stars and Mr Soname. They have shown us what is possible and how to run a professional football club in a dysfunctional society that is Nigeria. The hard work and patience has paid off.

I pray they will grow from strength to strength, and encourage other privately owned football clubs to follow suit.

I pray he can sustain the success.

That is the challenge but it seems he has that all planned out given his growing academy profile and also his Portuguese club that helps to move talent from the academy to clubs in Europe. On the Nigerian end, I hope he would help to assist in the growing of other local private entities to get promoted to the league and form the majority impacting decision making (At the moment only Sporting Lagos presents the other private interest at the NPFL level if my calculation is correct). That latter issue is really important because it will assure that decision making at NPFL level caters to needs of private clubs.

Ikorodu City FC are another well run private club, even more so than Sporting Lagos IMO with how well they’ve performed this season. Leading the league with the amount of goals they’ve scored, they’re also in a position where they could qualify for a continental competitions all with a far less experienced team.

Sunset

I am really hoping that one day, such privately funded clubs shall dominate the top division and wield the needed power to make decisions in order to duly protect their investment. Right now, there are some decisions that do not favor for-profit clubs. One clear one in a nation wide league is multiple games in one week which disregards the geographical expanse, travel costs, among others. If private clubs dominate the league they will most likely impact rule making with profit in mind.

EII

How exactly do Mid-week games not favor private clubs? Because if travel costs are a hurdle how would we expect them to compete at the continental stage if they're struggling to deal with something that's common practise around the world?

Any business has (or should have) a yearly budget on their operations and expenditures of which they allocate these things. And that's probably a big reason why the likes of Remo and Ikorodu City FC were amongst the best performers this season with their travel arrangements.

Sunset,

That is precisely the problem-- to assume that a practice elsewhere makes economic sense in Nigeria. Compare England to Nigeria. England is a small country comparatively with shorter travel distances and clubs may travel by air which means midweek games make sense. But does it in Nigeria? In Nugeria what is the toll traveling from Lagos to Maidugro and back and often via road? Is it comparable?

That is why midweek games do not favor private clubs in Nigeria: economics.

Nigeria is a vast country for travel, especially by road. This is similar to the problem in Brazil. Not that Nigeria is as vast as Brazil but the former is much bigger that England. Travel from Lagos to Maidugri to play a midweek game and back in Lagos to play a weekend game is taxing. This is vastly huge compared to midweek games in England, for instance. The huge distance difference must mean that simply copying what occurs in Europe will fail, especially when clubs often travel by road in Nigeria and costs via air travel are exhorbitant. In my view, a country like Nigeria may best be served economically by having the league broken down regionally to curb distances and create economic benefits. Then have winners from the regional leagues converge at a location for final games. These are simply based on economic advantages.

No serious professional club is travelling from Lagos to Maiduguri by road and those who do, are the type of teams we need to weed out from our top divisions.



No where did I say we should copy how it's done in England or even any of the other leagues in Europe, its worldwide including In Nigeria. No offense but the suggestions seem more like a crutch than something that would actually improve the general quality of the teams in the league. Competition is the name of the game and those who have the competitive advantage are the winners.

[Enugu II]

I pray he can sustain the success.

That is the challenge but it seems he has that all planned out given his growing academy profile and also his Portuguese club that helps to move talent from the academy to clubs in Europe. On the Nigerian end, I hope he would help to assist in the growing of other local private entities to get promoted to the league and form the majority impacting decision making (At the moment only Sporting Lagos presents the other private interest at the NPFL level if my calculation is correct). That latter issue is really important because it will assure that decision making at NPFL level caters to needs of private clubs.

Ikorodu City FC are another well run private club, even more so than Sporting Lagos IMO with how well they’ve performed this season. Leading the league with the amount of goals they’ve scored, they’re also in a position where they could qualify for a continental competitions all with a far less experienced team.

Sunset

I am really hoping that one day, such privately funded clubs shall dominate the top division and wield the needed power to make decisions in order to duly protect their investment. Right now, there are some decisions that do not favor for-profit clubs. One clear one in a nation wide league is multiple games in one week which disregards the geographical expanse, travel costs, among others. If private clubs dominate the league they will most likely impact rule making with profit in mind.

EII

How exactly do Mid-week games not favor private clubs? Because if travel costs are a hurdle how would we expect them to compete at the continental stage if they're struggling to deal with something that's common practise around the world?

Any business has (or should have) a yearly budget on their operations and expenditures of which they allocate these things. And that's probably a big reason why the likes of Remo and Ikorodu City FC were amongst the best performers this season with their travel arrangements.

Sunset,

That is precisely the problem-- to assume that a practice elsewhere makes economic sense in Nigeria. Compare England to Nigeria. England is a small country comparatively with shorter travel distances and clubs may travel by air which means midweek games make sense. But does it in Nigeria? In Nugeria what is the toll traveling from Lagos to Maidugro and back and often via road? Is it comparable?

That is why midweek games do not favor private clubs in Nigeria: economics.

Nigeria is a vast country for travel, especially by road. This is similar to the problem in Brazil. Not that Nigeria is as vast as Brazil but the former is much bigger that England. Travel from Lagos to Maidugri to play a midweek game and back in Lagos to play a weekend game is taxing. This is vastly huge compared to midweek games in England, for instance. The huge distance difference must mean that simply copying what occurs in Europe will fail, especially when clubs often travel by road in Nigeria and costs via air travel are exhorbitant. In my view, a country like Nigeria may best be served economically by having the league broken down regionally to curb distances and create economic benefits. Then have winners from the regional leagues converge at a location for final games. These are simply based on economic advantages.

No serious professional club is travelling from Lagos to Maiduguri by road and those who do, are the type of teams we need to weed out from our top divisions.



No where did I say we should copy how it's done in England or even any of the other leagues in Europe, its worldwide including In Nigeria. No offense but the suggestions seem more like a crutch than something that would actually improve the general quality of the teams in the league. Competition is the name of the game and those who have the competitive advantage are the winners.

Sunset,

Are all clubs traveling via plane? You know the answer is a big NO. Secondly, even those traveling by plane, is it cost-beneficisl? You know the answer to that. Private entities will not prefer to go into this with a loss as state entities would. If you have a private enterprise, the goal is profit. One of the ways to do this is obviously cutting costs and that is precisely why I think a nationwide league will not make sense for private enterprises. Additionally, I do not believe that the league has to be 20 teams. What is exactly the rationale for a 20-team league besides the fact that most other leagues have 20 teams. Is there a business rationale for it in Nigeria?

[aruako1]

Congrats to Remo Stars for a job well done.

Having said that, I wish you guys would stop dumping on State-sponsored clubs just because you favor privately owned clubs. It took the same amount of determination and hard work for Rivers United and all the other clubs that have won it in the past to win it. The success of a private club shouldn’t have to result in the demise of State-sponsored clubs, something some of you have been wishing aloud for. What every well-meaning fan should be wishing is for some of those management traits that made Remo successful to rub off on the other clubs so that collectively, this country can have a forward-looking league


Cheers.

Let us congratulate Remo Stars and try not to divert the thread from their historic victory. Some have tried to divert the thread to their pet obsession with all clubs being privatised by force - they do it on every NPFL thread - except when state owned clubs win. All we should say here really is - CONGRATULATIONS TO REMO STARS FOR A WELL DESERVED VICTORY.

[Lolly]

Congrats to Remo Stars for a job well done.

Having said that, I wish you guys would stop dumping on State-sponsored clubs just because you favor privately owned clubs. It took the same amount of determination and hard work for Rivers United and all the other clubs that have won it in the past to win it. The success of a private club shouldn’t have to result in the demise of State-sponsored clubs, something some of you have been wishing aloud for. What every well-meaning fan should be wishing is for some of those management traits that made Remo successful to rub off on the other clubs so that collectively, this country can have a forward-looking league


Cheers.

Let us congratulate Remo Stars and try not to divert the thread from their historic victory. Some have tried to divert the thread to their pet obsession with all clubs being privatised by force - they do it on every NPFL thread - except when state owned clubs win. All we should say here really is - CONGRATULATIONS TO REMO STARS FOR A WELL DESERVED VICTORY.

Our football and league will benefit from private investment and professional management. These state sponsored clubs are run like your typical government parastatals with no incentive whatsoever to make profit. And football these days is big business. Also, the governors are not obliged to fund all the clubs activities. You need to hear stories of how the players are starved and treated.

[Sunset]

That is the challenge but it seems he has that all planned out given his growing academy profile and also his Portuguese club that helps to move talent from the academy to clubs in Europe. On the Nigerian end, I hope he would help to assist in the growing of other local private entities to get promoted to the league and form the majority impacting decision making (At the moment only Sporting Lagos presents the other private interest at the NPFL level if my calculation is correct). That latter issue is really important because it will assure that decision making at NPFL level caters to needs of private clubs.

Ikorodu City FC are another well run private club, even more so than Sporting Lagos IMO with how well they’ve performed this season. Leading the league with the amount of goals they’ve scored, they’re also in a position where they could qualify for a continental competitions all with a far less experienced team.

Sunset

I am really hoping that one day, such privately funded clubs shall dominate the top division and wield the needed power to make decisions in order to duly protect their investment. Right now, there are some decisions that do not favor for-profit clubs. One clear one in a nation wide league is multiple games in one week which disregards the geographical expanse, travel costs, among others. If private clubs dominate the league they will most likely impact rule making with profit in mind.

EII

How exactly do Mid-week games not favor private clubs? Because if travel costs are a hurdle how would we expect them to compete at the continental stage if they're struggling to deal with something that's common practise around the world?

Any business has (or should have) a yearly budget on their operations and expenditures of which they allocate these things. And that's probably a big reason why the likes of Remo and Ikorodu City FC were amongst the best performers this season with their travel arrangements.

Sunset,

That is precisely the problem-- to assume that a practice elsewhere makes economic sense in Nigeria. Compare England to Nigeria. England is a small country comparatively with shorter travel distances and clubs may travel by air which means midweek games make sense. But does it in Nigeria? In Nugeria what is the toll traveling from Lagos to Maidugro and back and often via road? Is it comparable?

That is why midweek games do not favor private clubs in Nigeria: economics.

Nigeria is a vast country for travel, especially by road. This is similar to the problem in Brazil. Not that Nigeria is as vast as Brazil but the former is much bigger that England. Travel from Lagos to Maidugri to play a midweek game and back in Lagos to play a weekend game is taxing. This is vastly huge compared to midweek games in England, for instance. The huge distance difference must mean that simply copying what occurs in Europe will fail, especially when clubs often travel by road in Nigeria and costs via air travel are exhorbitant. In my view, a country like Nigeria may best be served economically by having the league broken down regionally to curb distances and create economic benefits. Then have winners from the regional leagues converge at a location for final games. These are simply based on economic advantages.

No serious professional club is travelling from Lagos to Maiduguri by road and those who do, are the type of teams we need to weed out from our top divisions.



No where did I say we should copy how it's done in England or even any of the other leagues in Europe, its worldwide including In Nigeria. No offense but the suggestions seem more like a crutch than something that would actually improve the general quality of the teams in the league. Competition is the name of the game and those who have the competitive advantage are the winners.

Sunset,

Are all clubs traveling via plane? You know the answer is a big NO. Secondly, even those traveling by plane, is it cost-beneficisl? You know the answer to that. Private entities will not prefer to go into this with a loss as state entities would. If you have a private enterprise, the goal is profit. One of the ways to do this is obviously cutting costs and that is precisely why I think a nationwide league will not make sense for private enterprises. Additionally, I do not believe that the league has to be 20 teams. What is exactly the rationale for a 20-team league besides the fact that most other leagues have 20 teams. Is there a business rationale for it in Nigeria?

That should be the standard which is my main point you seem to be missing here. If an owner wants their team to perform to a desired level they spend money on these things (flights, salaries, infrastructure, etc). I’m surprised you don’t understand this. What do you think the Remo Stars owner is celebrating more; his first league title or the prize money?

Running a football team is a long term investment where you’ll spend a whole lot of money before you can even think of breaking even. It’s not a charity event so if you want things to be cost beneficial run an academy team competing in the TCC league.

[aruako1]

Congrats to Remo Stars for a job well done.

Having said that, I wish you guys would stop dumping on State-sponsored clubs just because you favor privately owned clubs. It took the same amount of determination and hard work for Rivers United and all the other clubs that have won it in the past to win it. The success of a private club shouldn’t have to result in the demise of State-sponsored clubs, something some of you have been wishing aloud for. What every well-meaning fan should be wishing is for some of those management traits that made Remo successful to rub off on the other clubs so that collectively, this country can have a forward-looking league


Cheers.

Let us congratulate Remo Stars and try not to divert the thread from their historic victory. Some have tried to divert the thread to their pet obsession with all clubs being privatised by force - they do it on every NPFL thread - except when state owned clubs win. All we should say here really is - CONGRATULATIONS TO REMO STARS FOR A WELL DESERVED VICTORY.

Our football and league will benefit from private investment and professional management. These state sponsored clubs are run like your typical government parastatals with no incentive whatsoever to make profit. And football these days is big business. Also, the governors are not obliged to fund all the clubs activities. You need to hear stories of how the players are starved and treated.

I have never said that private investment is not welcome. I like what Remo Stars, Ikorodu and Sporting Lagos are doing - Sporting are now my second team. However, the emphasis should be on the quality of management - despite the seeming consensus, private enterprise is not always better managed. There are also stories of poor player welfare under private ownership.

Our most successful club locally and internationally is state owned. It has been better managed than several private clubs. The key is the quality of management, not ownership. For instance, I would rather have Enyimba under Governor Otti's (not necessarily directly) than under most Nigerian entrepreneurs. The league should set its standards and exclude any teams that do not meet such standards. A mandate to have only private ownership makes no sense.

[Dammy]

My question for those still advocating for state ownership of our football clubs, name one, just one or the top teams in Africa that is state owned?
If you can’t, then you have your answer