Ex-Eagles captain, Nwosu blames Nigerian clubs’ continental woes on faltering NPFL

A former Nigerian international, Coach Henry Nwosu has blamed the regular poor performances of the country’s representatives in the CAF inter-clubs competitions on the consistent delay in the kick-off of the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL. In a chat with Daily Trust, the former captain of the defunct ACB of Lagos said Nigerian clubs’ opponents […]

A former Nigerian international, Coach Henry Nwosu has blamed the regular poor performances of the country’s representatives in the CAF inter-clubs competitions on the consistent delay in the kick-off of the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL.

In a chat with Daily Trust, the former captain of the defunct ACB of Lagos said Nigerian clubs’ opponents on the continental stage were always better prepared because they usually start their leagues ahead of the NPFL.

It will be recalled that Kano Pillars and Plateau United have crashed out of the ongoing CAF Confederations Cup and CAF Champions League respectively at the preliminary stage while Enyimba and Rivers United only managed to qualify for the next rounds.

Immediately they crashed out, both Plateau United and Kano Pillars cited the non commencement of the NPFL as the major reason for their failures.

“When we don’t start early, definitely you won’t have a very solid team at hand. We love the fire brigade approach which is not the best but we are always praying. When you don’t prepare well, there is no way you can perform well,” he said.

He further agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the delay but said it is not an excuse for the League Management Company (LMC) to fail to reopen the league.

“The COVID-19 pandemic affected the whole world and gradually, we are getting out of it. But we have seen some leagues resumed like the Premier League, La Liga in the midst of the pandemic. This shows how organized they are to see life return.

“We have even seen how they are able to structure the fixtures which they are following to the letter. That is the organization and preparation that we lack in Nigeria,” said the 1980 AFCON winner.

It will be noted that the 2020/21 NPFL season was to kick off on December 6, but the LMC has denied making an official statement on the resumption.