Reasons govt-owned football clubs aren't making profits

Oliseh

The President of Nigeria Nationwide League One Side, FC Ebedei, Barrister Churchill Oliseh has revealed the reasons football clubs owned by state governments are not making profits.

  

Oliseh who blamed the league management body and the various state governments as being behind why clubs in the country don't make profits. stated that while the state governments were over funding the clubs without a return on investments and mandate to make profits, the league management body had also failed to sanction teams who are not declaring profits.  

Oliseh said this was killing the economic competitiveness found in leagues in other parts of the world in the Nigerian league. 

The renowned sport administrator who spoke during an interview with Family United by Football,  an online Osun based platform stressed that a lot of government owned clubs have a foundation that is sufficient to be a regular source of income to their various governments but are not living up to this. 

He said,  "One of the problems of Nigeria clubs is over funding. Government teams are given resources and there are no matching requirements for dividend from such resources.  

"There is no where in the serious world where resources are given without commensurate return on investment and that has thrown up a lot of problems competiting with teams that are not economically accountable. 

" We don't mean government should pull out of sports one of the strength of Nigerian football is government interest in the sector is one the edge we have over other countries. But what we need is that Govt sponsorship should be directed appropriatly and should come with returns on investment. 

"It is not difficult for government owned team to declare profits it is just that they have not been mandated to do so and the moderating body too has not made it a requirement that any team who refuses would be expunged from the league.  

"In most jurisdiction around the world if you're  not an economically viable you're not allowed to participate in their league.  A lot of government owned clubs have a foundation that is sufficient to be a regular source of income to their various governments. "

He also appealed to the Fg to consider lifting the ban placed on sporting activities in the country as being done to other sectors, saying that the continued ban would have far reaching effect on the sector as sporting actions had since began in other countries. 

He said,  "Of course COVID-19 is a pandemic but again we are opening other sector of the economy which in our own view are germane but If sports was to be accorded it rightful position I do not see why sporting activities would still be put on hold. Sports is not just a national thing, it is an international affair, if Nigeria remains banned the global competitions qualification are coming up sooner than later and take football for example, you might need 6 weeks to attain fitness and another for match fitness add up that is 12 weeks.  We are at the tail end of June.  There are safeguards other part of the world have introduced into sports because of the pandemic why don't we bring that to bear with our sports.  It is time to lift the ban of sports. The pandemic has had far reaching effect on sports and may be worst if the ban is not lifted. "