Local Football Players Are Getting The Shaft In Nigeria

caption: Local soccer players in action

Off the record interviews with footballers in the National League based in Osogbo, Osun State, took the lid off an unexpected level of pent up anger and frustration among the players over unpaid wages, inadequate housing and insufficient medical care, a SaharaReporters Sports has found.

Issues raised by the players threaten to hinder development of football in Nigeria and are also part of the factors contributing to our failure in footballing activities.

Said one player: 'The chairman of the club has yet to pay us our money, and recently he threatened to disband the team and chase us back home if we disclose this to anyone.'

When a SR Sports staffer put a call through to the technical adviser of Prime FC, the phone was banged down on his ear by the officer.

Prime football club is a typical example of other football clubs maltreating their players.

Most of these boys are from poor homes and their family members look up to them for survival.

 Nigerian football league chairmen have to shift their attention to the mistreatment of players and officials working the assigned clubs that they have been called upon to govern.

The non-payment of salaries, bonuses and allowances is eating too deeply into the clubs playing in the Nigerian football clubs especially at top levels of the premier league.

The Nigeria football football federation and Football federation of all states should brace up and develop football by taking care of the players