A former Super Eagles star, Moses Akuhwa Kpakor has passed a damning verdict on Nigerian football administrators as he said they are more interested in their personal interests than the growth of the game. In this interview with Trust Sports, the former BCC Lions and Abiola Babes midfield maestro also spoke on the crisis in the players’ union and the domestic football league.
As a former international, what do you have to say about the ongoing tussle for power in Nigerian football?
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I think we no longer have people who have genuine interest in Nigerian football. We are having people whose interest is their bellies. They care more about what they can get out of football and not what football can gain from them. This wasn’t the case when I started playing for the national team. The Secretaries- General of the then NFA were civil servants who depended on their salaries. However, when Nigeria began to make a name in football, people wanted to come in so as to make money. Now, there is a general decline in Nigerian sports. Once in a while, we qualify for the World Cup or our girls win a relay race, then we think we are making progress. But why are we not having as many as 100 girls running the 100 meters below 11 seconds? Why are our football clubs not playing regularly in the CAF Champions league and getting to the quarter-finals stage? These are some of the signs that our sports is declining but we have people who are more interested in running sports, particularly football, for their selfish interests. It is very unfortunate.
What do you think should be done for Nigerian football to enjoy long lasting peace?
Like I said earlier, most football administrators are selfish and not committed to the development of the sport. Many have bought tickets to run for NFF presidency but I think they should be made to sign an undertaking because whether we like it or not, Nigeria is the only country where football is run based on the laws of the land. Yes, our laws founded football. We are not like Brazil, we are not like Italy. We are not like the other countries where football is governed strictly on statues approved by FIFA. So, those who want to lead the NFF should sign an undertaking that tomorrow, if they embezzle our money, they should be prosecuted in our law courts. This may sound a bit strange but it can be done.
As a former Super Eagles player, how sad are you about the division in the body of Nigerian football players?
It is disappointing that our ex-internationals have allowed themselves to be used by sports administrators. I learnt that apart from the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) which is recognised by FIFPRO, there is a rival body recognised by Amaju Pinnick and registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Some people say PFAN is not recognised by Nigerian law but I fault the registration of the new body by the CAC because PFAN has been in existence for over 40 years. I was one of the founding members. In fact, I was the coordinator for the north-central. So, I am surprised that the CAC didn’t ask questions before registering the new body. Even if PFAN is fighting Pinnick, it does not mean some members of the association should allow themselves to be used by anyone. Well, I am happy that both factions are working towards reconciling their differences.
Are you satisfied with the involvement of former players in the administration of Nigerian football?
This is an issue that we need to address urgently. Why are players not getting their due recognition when it comes to the composition of the NFF? There should be no election unless the players union is duly recognised. You can’t administer football without players being involved. Even if FIFA bans us, life will continue. We have been banned more than three times but nobody died. People shouldn’t threaten us with a FIFA ban. Let us do the right thing. Football is played by players. It is not something that is done in the office. It is the playing that is football not the administration.
By this you are backing the actions of PFAN which may ground Nigerian football again…
They have a very good case. They want the NFF statutes amended to accommodate all the relevant stakeholders so they must be listened to. How can you have 37 chairmen of football associations voting at NFF elections? It is one body like the players’ union so they too should have one vote. Are they more than the players? It is not done anywhere. All the relevant stakeholders should be accommodated.
You once played for BCC Lions and Abiola Babes in the Nigerian league. Are you satisfied with the state of the domestic league?
Well, I have always said this. Nobody can tell me that our league doesn’t have good players. I will continue to refuse till I die. We have more talented players now than in our time. People say our football is declining because we have abandoned school sports but it is not only about that. It wasn’t only school sports that made Nigerian football flourish. God hasn’t stopped blessing our children with football talent. And our population today has even doubled. This means Nigeria has more talents now than before. We are the people who have failed to harness the talents at our disposal. We can still make our football what it was before. You know who Sir Akpoo was. He was among the people with a third eye for talents. Chris Udemezue had a third eye and Sabastine Brodericks also a third eye. But look at our coaches today. Why are they not discovering good players? It is because they are just average coaches. It is unfortunate that the Nigerian domestic league can’t boast of quality players. The kind of coaching we see today is pitiful. There is also the problem of poor administration which is the number one bane of the local league. Then there is the serious problem of insecurity at match venues. If I am a referee, I won’t hesitate to give ‘Gboko penalty’. I can give ‘Lagos penalty’ to save my life. What do I mean? Football is too small compared to my life. I can’t die for football. I can die for God, not football. It is sad that Policemen at match venues are the first to allow thugs to beat the referees. Most of the Policemen are supporters of the clubs. They join in celebrating goals scored by home teams. So, whenever there is a crisis, they allow the hooligans to have a field day. As a matter of fact, the problem of the Nigerian football league is multidimensional. I have retired from football for over 24 years today. Since the time I started as a student in 1982, the slogan has been we want to harmonize our calendar with European football. But after 49 years, we are yet to harmonize. Do you think these people are serious? They are simply confused.
This interview was conducted on the eve of the 2022 NFF election.
