Nigerian teams in the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, have faced several challenges in recent years that contribute to their underwhelming performances in the CAF Champions League competitions.
Gone are the days Nigeria used to have teams like Enyimba International of Aba, Heartland, Shooting Stars of Ibadan, Bendel Insurance, BBC Lions, and Enugu Rangers doing exceptionally well in the CAF Champions League.
Enyimba became the fifth Nigerian team to lift a continental title after Shooting Stars (1976), Rangers International (1977), BBC Lions (1990) and Bendel Insurance (1994).
The People’s Elephants lifted back-to-back CAF Champions League titles in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
But in recent years, NPFL teams have performed woefully in CAF Champions League competitions.
Fast forward to this ongoing season, Nigeria has only two NPFL teams that made it to the qualifying rounds of the CAF Champions League, which are Rivers United and Remo Stars.
However, only Rivers United was able to qualify for the CAF Champions League group stage, but they have failed to make it to the quarter-finals stage after they lost 4-1 to Pyramid of Egypt in Nigeria on Sunday.
Rivers United currently sit in the bottom position in Group A with one point from five matches.
Finidi George’s side will play their final game in the group stage against RS Berkane of Morocco on Saturday.
Speaking with DAILY POST on the why Nigerian teams are not performing in CAF Champions League competitions in recent years, respected Lagos-based journalist, Femi Fabunmi, suggested that at the moment, many NPFL clubs struggle with inadequate training facilities, stadiums, and resources compared to teams from other countries.
Fabunmi also pointed out that limited financial backing affects players’ recruitment and retention, as many NPFL clubs can’t afford to sign quality foreign players or maintain competitive salaries for local talents.
He believes that the Nigerian domestic league has administrative issues within the NPFL, insisting that it lacks ‘power and stamina to retain good players.’
“There has been a dearth of quality players in the league,” Fabunmi told DAILY POST.
“The league lacks the power and stamina to retain good players.
“Many local players prefer to travel abroad to ply their trade, even if it’s a fellow African country.
“I have seen many Nigerian players move to Beninese clubs and countries with less pedigree in international football.
“Not being able to retain talents goes a long way to affect our performances on the continent.
“Those days that we did averagely well, it was because we could retain players and make them see reasons to play for domestic club sides.
“Another thing affecting us is that we don’t have many good pitches in the country; many countries have good stadia and that allows them to train well and deliver on the pitch,” he further stated.
Why Nigerian teams are doing badly in CAF Champions League competitions – Analyst
