The Commandant of the 22 Armoured Brigade, Sobi, Ilorin, Col. Ola Falade, has called on football Administrators in the country to be creative and ingenious in order to develop the game in Nigeria.
Col. Falade made the call on Wednesday in Ilorin during a courtesy call on him by management of Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Ilorin FC.
“Our administrators are not doing anything and they must start to be creative.
“ABS should create platform to make every of its fans registered by paying a token as little as N100.
“If you collect N100 from 1,000,000 fans, you can calculate that and see what you will get.
”I am saying what I am saying based on my visits to different stadia across the world” Col. Falade said.
The Army officer who explained that he played football when he was young advised football administrators to fashion out ways to return the club to the fans as it is done abroad.
“Those that invested their money will not want the clubs to fail or crumble, so the clubs must belong to the supporters.
“This will bring people back to the stadia because you must see or monitor your investment.
“I am deeply saddened by lack of spectators at our stadia today.
“If you are to see Rangers of Enugu and Bendel Insurance of Benin play those days, you must be at the stadium latest 9am or else you won’t get a seat.
“Football today is about the administrators because the talents are there but our administrators are not thinking” Col. Falade added.
The 22 Armoured Brigade Commander expressed dismay that people are not seeing football as a big business just as it is seen in Europe.
He said he is surprised no Nigeria club has been able to win any CAF competition since Enyimba did so almost two decades ago.
The Coordinator of ABS Ilorin FC, Idris Musa, who presented the club’s souvenirs to the Commandant, said the team’s management was in his office to tap from his huge experience in sports.
“We want to bring as many as possible people closer to us so we can develop your club, our club together.
“ABS is one of the most professionally run clubs in Nigeria today, when you take our talent discovery into consideration.
“While we play in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), last season, there is no time we don’t have as much as 6000 spectators to watch us.
“We will continue to work with our host community to develop the club” Musa said.
