GOVT HAS NO BUSINESS RUNNING PROFESSIONAL CLUBS–Onu, former Eagles manager

Former Super Eagles (Home based) manager, Erasmus Onu, has joined those clamouring for state governments to hands off the ownership of professional clubs that are featuring in the nation’s domestic league.
Onu, who spoke exclusively to Satur­day Sunsports last week said he would want to see a setting where there would be no government owned club in the Glo premier league, insisting that all the reforms being put in place by the League Management Company (LMC) to take the league to the next level will only begin to yield dividend if the clubs change from being mere government parastatals to real professional sides.
The talented coach, who last handled Heartland FC of Owerri pointed out that it is only in this country that government own and fund professional football clubs.



“I don’t want us to go far by comparing what is happening here with Europe. No, that would be going too far. Lets come down to our sub region, West Africa. In Ghana, there is no government funded club side. The two big clubs in Ghana, Accra Hearts and Ashanti Kotoko are not funded by any government. The story is the same in Togo, Republic of Benin and Togo. So, why must the story be different in Nigeria? This is the only country in the world where governments spend
taxpayers’ money to run football clubs that ordinarily should be making money. The truth is that things just have to change if we are to make any meaningful progress in line with the vision of LMC.” world where governments spend
“You can see what is happen­ing in Taraba United and how the players are being treated like slaves. These are what players and coaches in other clubs are also facing. Now, the revenue of states has gone down, more clubs would be in serious financial crisis.”
Onu pointed out that many wealthy Nigeria’s business­men, who ordinarily would have loved to invest in the game are reluctant to do so be cause of government clubs.


“That wealthy Nigerians are not come out to float clubs is because of government clubs. No body will want to waste his money in a business in which he will get no return. That is why the likes of the late MKO Abiola disbanded his club. Chief Iwuanyanwu got tired and did the same. And if this trend con­tinues, Chris Giwa and Ifeanyi Ubah will get tired and throw in the towel.”
Onu, who came into national limelight when he led the now disbanded Jasper FC of Onitsha into the elite class of the nation’s pro league some years back, said one of the reasons the nation’s league is not competitive is because most clubs rather than investing in good players and coaches throw money around to win games by some other means. He stressed that top government officials also breath down on coaches to sign players on what he called “next of kin” basis.

“As a coach, you hardly get the free hand to recruit the quality players you need to prosecute matches. You will see one com­missioner or one deputy gov­ernor or governor sending you players with “he must be signed” order. How can you get the best in this kind of situation? There is no professionalism. If a coach is not ready to do their bidding, he is fired. If a club is funded by those who are not spending tax payers money, they will go for the best coaches, best players and pay them well because the whole thing will be based on ability to get result.”
Onu, who before taking to coaching, served the Nigerian Customs, said the country must follow the global trend and run the round leather game profes­sionally as business.


“Football is big business virtu­ally everywhere in the world. You can see the kind of money clubs like Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid are spend­ing and how much they make in return. We cannot do the same thing here until we change the face of the game. Professional league should be for clubs that are funded by government. Once we do the right thing, sponsors will come in and the league will get better. The fans will begin once more to show interest in our league. So far, the League Management Company

(LMC) has done a good job. They need to sustain the tempo and one way to sustain it is to encourage more clubs that are not government clubs to come up, while the state governments should be told in clear terms to hands off clubs in their domains.”
It would be noted that two privately owned clubs; Mountain of Fire (MFM FC) and Ikorodu United had gained pro­motion to play in the Glo premier league next term, a development, which both the NFF and LMC applauded.

LMC this term had a running battle with clubs like Dolphins, Sharks, El Kanemi Warriors, Warri Wolves, Taraba United and Rangers following the failure of the clubs to pay their players and coaches. Players of Warri Wolves, Dolphins and El Kanemi eventually went on strike to protest the non-payment of their sal­aries. In fact, El Kanemi at a point failed to honor their away tie against FC Ifeanyiubah. Taraba United players were a fortnight ago in Jalingo brutalized by soldiers for daring to carry their protest to Government House.
The NFF during its Annual General Assembly last week in Abuja resolved to impose sanc­tion on Taraba United and to ban Taraba State from all football activities in the country if the state government fails to settle the players of Taraba United.