Obaseki advocates 4-year `sabbatical leave’ for Nigerian football

Obaseki made the call on Friday in Benin while speaking as a guest lecturer at the end-of-year party organised by the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Edo chapter. He said Nigerian football would be able to use the period to positively turn around the fortunes of the game in the country. The News Agency […]

Obaseki made the call on Friday in Benin while speaking as a guest lecturer at the end-of-year party organised by the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Edo chapter.

He said Nigerian football would be able to use the period to positively turn around the fortunes of the game in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the former Second Vice-President of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) board made the suggestion in his paper presentation titled “Re-tracking Nigerian Football’’.

Obaseki said the only way to save Nigerian football was to adopt President Goodluck Jonathan’s earlier plan for Nigeria to stay away from international football.

“President Jonathan’s earlier idea was that the nation should go on sabbatical from playing international football,’’ he said.

NAN reports that Jonathan had in 2010 withdrew Nigeria from international football, only to rescind the decision some days later following intense pressure from many quarters.

The sports administrator however said he was in support of the idea of a “stay-away’’ based on his decades of experience in managing football in the country.

He then urged the NFA to therefore make history by applying to world football governing body FIFA, as well as its continental affiliate CAF, for a four-year suspension.

“This is do-able and acceptable to FIFA, because Cameroon, Ghana and some other countries have done it and are better off today,” Obaseki said.

He noted that it was only “selfish Nigerians who are benefitting from collecting estacodes and the petty stealing of money from Nigerian football’’ that would kick against his suggestion.

“Many Nigerians have collapsed and died of heart attack each time the Super Eagles crashed out of international matches,’’ Obaseki said.

He then suggested that government should begin the move for “a sabbatical leave’’ by calling on all national coaches to draw up a time-table for “purely developmental football’’.

The former NPL chairman pointed out that such a programme had never been planned in the country before.

“All state Football Associations (Fas) should be empowered financially as grass roots operators to go into the action of developing football at the state and local government levels.

“For the league, the government should encourage sponsorship from corporate organisations,’’ Obaseki said.(NAN)