In the Nigerian Professional Football League, Snow Will Fall in the Sahara Desert Before a Team Wins Away
Within the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL, the idea of an away victory seems as elusive as snow in the desert. For a very long time, the home teams seem to be impenetrable, leaving the away teams grasping for any semblance of success. But why does this pattern persist? There are several factors responsible for this.
One among many reasons why the home team always get at least a point is that home teams are responsible for referees’ allowances and payment for that week. That is the reason for bias in most cases. This method of financial arrangement adds another layer of complexity to an already convoluted system. Referees, beholden to the hospitality of the home team, may find themselves inadvertently swayed by the subtle pressure to appease their benefactors. This warm relationship between home teams and match officials further tips the balance in favor of the hosts, leaving the away teams to navigate a minefield of hidden agendas.
Moreover, travel grief or stress is an important factor. Navigating through treacherous roads that seem more fitting for off-road vehicles than team buses tells on the players. The sheer exhaustion from the commute alone is enough to reduce the strength and spirit of even the most seasoned players, leaving them ill-prepared for the match ahead of them.
Furthermore, behind the scenes, club presidents usually find their way by pulling strings to ensure victory at any cost. These personalities often appointed by state governments, harbor an insatiable thirst for success, resorting to dubious tactics such as bribery to work out the match in their favor. They often turn themselves into parasites draining the lifeblood of the sport by manipulating the referees, and greasing palms to guarantee victory on the home team.
Buttressing the case of referees’ payments, which are hugely smaller compared to their colleagues in other regions, referees are consequently lured into engaging in illicit bribe rewards, which they consider too tantalizing to reject.
Fans equally play roles in the course, with violent outbursts that usually arise in the aftermath of the match where referees and players alike become targets, their safety and well-being hanging in the balance. They away teams, their coaching team, and the refereeing crew ply these games with the history and likelihood of violence and their vulnerability in mind.
For the NPFL to thrive, therefore, there is a need for a shift in mindset, structure, and organization. Club presidents must withdraw their power of influence on the sport, embracing transparency and fair play—but seeing the impossibility of them doing this of their accord, the leadership of the NPFL must rise and design impregnable systems involving that would ensure, among other things, the security of players and referees, and the independence of the payment of this refereeing staff. Referees must be shielded from the temptations of bribery, their integrity upheld at all costs. And fans, the lifeblood of the game, should learn to accept defeat graciously, fostering an environment free from fear and hostility. With these resolutions, NPFL can then fulfill its potential without any form of compromise.
