The painful truth about NPFL clubs in CAF competitions

For decades, Nigerian football fans have sustained themselves on the glorious memories of Enyimba’s historic back-to-back continental triumphs. We hold onto those years like a shield, using them to argue that our domestic league is not inferior to others on the continent.

Unfortunately, nostalgia cannot win matches in Cairo, Casablanca or Tunis. The current era of African football has delivered a sobering wakeup call to the self-acclaimed football capital of the continent. Watching our reigning champions struggle to assert dominance in the qualification rounds while continental rivals casually cruise into the group stages forces us to confront a heavy truth: the gap between the NPFL and the rest of Africa is widening by the day; and ignoring it will only hasten our decline into complete irrelevance.

This reality stared us in the face recently as four Nigerian clubs struggled to clear the first preliminary round hurdles in this year’s CAF club competitions. In the end, only two teams—defending NPFL champions, Enugu Rangers and Federation Cup holders, El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri—managed to survive, while Rivers United and Shooting Stars (3SC) of Ibadan stumbled and crashed out at the initial hurdle.

Even so, the performances of the two surviving teams do not inspire much confidence as they head into more formidable fixtures. Rangers scraped through on penalties after a pair of identical draws against AS Sobe-map of Benin Republic. After drawing 1-1 at home, they surrendered an early lead in the return fixture to draw 1-1 again, ultimately winning 5-4 in a tense penalty shootout. That narrow escape set up a daunting second preliminary round clash with North African giants, MC Alger.

Similarly, El-Kanemi Warriors capitalised on a massive 3-0 home win against Guinea-Bissau’s UDIB, but failed to build momentum, losing 0-1 away to advance 3-1 on aggregate. Like Rangers, they have been paired with a North African powerhouse—Raja Casablanca of Morocco. For many fans, this looks like the end of the road, with some concluding that only a miracle can save the duo in the next round.

Among the casualties, Rivers United disappointed deeply. After earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw away against San-Pedro of Cote d’Ivoire, Coach Finidi George’s men suffered heartbreak at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, falling behind by two early goals. Although they showed immense character to claw back to 2-2, the away goals conceded proved fatal. For 3SC, their fate felt sealed the moment they drew CS Sfaxien. Despite a narrow 1-0 home win, the “Oluyole Warriors” were easily caged 0-2 in Sfax, underscoring the recurring vulnerabilities of NPFL clubs.

These shambolic continental showings are rarely surprising anymore. Too many government-owned clubs refuse to adopt professional standards on and off the pitch. Those conversant with modern football trends agree that clubs operating with an amateurish outlook struggle even to meet basic club licensing demands. As the old adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail, and expecting different results while repeating the same mistakes is the definition of insanity.

What must NPFL clubs do differently to compete favourably with opponents in Tunis, Casablanca, Cairo, Algiers and Johannesburg? First, NPFL clubs must make player salaries a non-negotiable priority. Chronic underpayment forces quality talents to flee to obscure foreign leagues. In 2013, the defunct League Management Company (LMC) introduced an enhanced monthly salary structure, while abolishing sign-on fees to curb corruption. In practice, players often receive neither sign-on fees nor consistent salaries. Consequently, any top-tier talent remaining in the NPFL is usually just waiting for a foreign escape route.

Second, poor recruitment remains a plague. Many domestic coaches rely on sentiments, personal interests and the toxic “man-know-man” syndrome rather than merit. Extremely talented players frequently miss out simply because they lack personal connections within club management.

Third, most state-owned clubs are treated as political appendages rather than business enterprise. Governors often appoint political loyalists with zero football administration experience to manage massive budgets. These administrators care little about long-term development or team trajectory as long as monthly allocations keep flowing, leaving poorly motivated players and staff to suffer.

Fourth, lack of standard facilities severely hamstrings Nigerian clubs, forcing them to play home matches away from their traditional fan bases. Disturbingly, Nigeria currently has very few fully approved venues for continental fixtures, such as the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, and the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne. El-Kanemi Warriors have had to relocate from Maiduguri to Ogun State, losing the electric home energy that comes with playing at familiar grounds. The same applies to Enugu Rangers leaving “The Cathedral” for alternative venues, creating a nomadic existence that destroys focus for professional athletes.

Finally, unstable leadership and technical staff turnover undermine institutional growth. Notably, just days before their crucial clash with CS Sfaxien, 3SC appointed Coach Salisu Yusuf to replace the manager who qualified them for the Confederation Cup, forcing a brand-new tactical philosophy onto the squad right before a high-stakes match.

It is time Nigerian football administrators accepted that the era of relying on past glories to validate the domestic league is officially over. African football has evolved into a high-stakes, professionalised industry, yet NPFL clubs continue bringing amateur habits to an elite table. To reverse this decline, we must immediately overhaul how football is funded, how players and coaches are recruited, and how our massive infrastructural gaps are bridged.