Today, soccer all over the world is regarded
as an important sport which has over millions of players around the world. The
organization and management of soccer around the world has however been faced
by many challenges especially in Nigeria. It is the duty of the National sports
commission, Nigerian football federation and various sports bodies that has to
do with the organization and administration of soccer in Nigeria.
Management problems of soccer as a profession
that can be encountered in Nigeria include;
a.
Inadequate
funding
b.
Poor state
of facilities and equipments
c.
Age cheating
d.
Inadequate
sponsorship
e.
Level of
income
a. Inadequate
funding
The unavailability of proper funds has made
the management of soccer as a profession in Nigeria difficult. Funds are
regularly needed for the maintenance of the profession because it would be
difficult for any profession to survive without adequate funding. When funds
are not made available or are not enough it would be tough to manage and
organize soccer activities as facilities and equipments would not be readily
available, players might not be paid well and lots of people who want to
venture into the profession might lose hope.
b. Poor state of
facilities and equipments
When facilities and equipments that are meant
to be used for the management of soccer as a profession are in poor state,
there would be major problems that would arise and such profession would not
develop. Nigeria soccer has suffered from this because most of the stadiums are
not always in good state and equipments are always too old and sub standard
because of the poor management of them.
c. Age cheat
Soccer players in Nigeria have been known to
reduce their age for so many reasons. Age cheat by Nigerian footballers have
lead to many problems as regards the management of soccer as a profession in
Nigerian sports. When a player of 25 years registers his age as 15 years old,
you can imagine the ten years difference and this would start manifesting in
grass root soccer and hence would impede its development.
d. Inadequate
sponsorship
The level of sponsorship in Nigeria as
regards soccer is low compared to other developed sports nations. Sponsors that
are readily available are usually chased out because of factors ranging from
poor organization to corruption by the individuals in the management. For an
industry or company to sponsor soccer in Nigeria, they would ensure they also
gain attention but this would be almost impossible when it is not properly
organized.
e. Level of
income
Naturally if a profession has high income,
lots of people would want to venture into it because of the extrinsic reward
they would develop from it. In Nigeria however the reverse is the case as
soccer players are not well paid with some players collecting far below the
average and minimum wage of the country.
