Copyright thenationonlineng
I’ve never met billionaire sports entrepreneur Soname face-to-face for any reason. But I’ve followed his antecedents in sports business with bated breath to see if he can be trusted. Yes, my discreet submission on Soname is that he is an honest businessman who doesn’t punch above his weight. I was bowled over by the fact that he owned a club in Portugal and was deeply involved in the business of football at the nursery level. I probed further and realised that he wasn’t in the nursery business to pluck flowers. He chose to build structures which created the platform to discover, nurture and expose the budding talents that litter the streets in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country. It isn’t ease to run soccer business in an environment like ours where the administrators run the game by their hunches. The game needs proactive businessmen and women such as Soname to look at the game from the prism of giving back to the community where he has chosen to make his abode. Who won’t choose the community of his birth like Soname has done. Indeed, the tiny Remo land has international acclaim each time Remo FC plays a game either within the country or as our soccer ambassadors. But what thrills me the most is that analysts can at least say that Beyond Limits FC is the genuine nursery of Remo FC both in theoretical terms and practical terms. The difference between Remo Stars and Beyond the Limits FC is that the owner, Soname faces the latter with all the trappings of any thriving business concern, leaving Remo Stars FC as the platform to give back to society – create a means of getting young Nigerians and the older active ones to earn a living, which is sacrosanct. But there appears to be a growing conflict between Remo Stars and Beyond the Limits FC which only Soname can resolve. If I were in Soname’s shoes, I will shop for either a credible buyer(s) for Remo Stars or get a business-minded management committee of sports loving people to run it as a thriving concern while I sit back with the Beyond Limits cradle which already has international acclaim in Portugal. If I were Soname, I will get Remo Stars very good Portuguese coaches who would also function as trainers of our domestic league clubs during the off seasons. If I were Soname, I will recruit Barrister Amobi as the CEO of Remo Stars with one resolve – win the CAF Champions League diadem in 2030. I will suggest, dear Soname, the recruitment of Toyin Ibitoye to work with Ameobi to rebrand Remo Stars. I would have suggested Davidson Owumi but he is with NPFL as the C.O.O. We need a few teams to serve as models for other Nigerian clubs to emulate, if we truly want the game to be a beauty to watch across league venues weekly. I’ve chosen to write about Remo Stars and Beyond the Limits FC because of the unacceptable 5-1 drubbing Remo suffered in the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns FC of South Africa, which has caused uproar among the uniformed. Truth be told, Mamelodi Sundowns and Remo Stars are no mates. Only two weeks ago, the South African side spent $1 million in the transfer of a player. How many Nigerian sides can do that? Certainly not with a shrewd business mogul as Soname who can trade one exceptional good kid from his academy for six or more times that one million dollars. Nigeria’s champions in the league shouldn’t be beaten 5-1 and we want people to just sigh over it or rein curses. I would rather proffer solutions without trying to curry anyone’s favour. I like the way Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt is been run. However, I was taken aback by Soname’s claim about the Nigerian economy. I ask the proprietor if his club is quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange? Or is that task also burdened by the country’s economy, Sir? Has the proprietor bothered to find out what European clubs in football crazy nations contribute to their respective country’s economy? They took a plunge into the money spinner that the game is based on well thought out plans. For these clubs, it wasn’t a case of guesswork. Clubs in Europe didn’t wait on their federations’ promptings to seize the bull by its horns. The private sector talk in Nigeria is cheap. The Americans own clubs all over Europe. According to agency reports: ‘’In the 2023/24 season, the Premier League generated a record £6.35 billion in revenue, contributing to England’s economy through job creation, significant tax contributions, and substantial investment in the football pyramid, according to reports from theesk.org and the Premier League. This record turnover was driven primarily by rising commercial and matchday income, with commercial revenue surpassing £2 billion for the first time. This financial success allows for reinvestment, supports grassroots football, and maintains the league’s global competitiveness.” Read Also: Nigeria’s exit from FATF Grey List excites President ‘’In the 2023/24 season, La Liga’s standardised revenue exceeded €5 billion, a record high that signifies a strong post-pandemic recovery and a significant boost to Spain’s economy. This revenue growth was driven by record stadium attendance, strong commercial income from new sponsorships, and broadcast revenue. The increased financial performance contributes to the sustainability of the Spanish football ecosystem through club investment, but also saw the league’s net debt rise, largely due to long-term financing deals.” The story is almost the same in other European nations; growth in soccer. When in 1990 some respected Nigerian soccer administrators conceptualised the Nigeria Professional League body, they were responding to the new trends in the beautiful game in other climes. These men couldn’t stomach the mediocrity associated with the Nigerian game. They wanted a departure from the tardy past to embrace the new dawn where very good players could earn a living outside the country. The wise men foresaw the future where with a new mentality to matches, the country could one day play at the senior World Cup. The quasi-professional league witnessed a lot of improvement, except that the ownership structures didn’t quite change, with most of the teams owned by the government. The few private clubs (Leventis United FC of Ibadan, Abiola Babes FC of Abeokuta, New Nigeria Bank FC of Benin City, Flash Flamingoes FC of Benin City, Julius Berger FC of Lagos, Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC of Owerri, etc) left their marks, although they were eventually emasculated by the government teams which had tremendous cash which their administrators used to corrupt the system. The thought of having four teams in Benin City didn’t excite the fans as much having only their darling team in the elite class. The private clubs’ owners soon dropped their sponsorship initiatives when they couldn’t cope with the malfeasances of the league. The conspiracy against the privately-owned teams brought back the sharp practices of the competition, leading to the dearth of new talents. These private clubs couldn’t enjoy the support of the fans in those cities where the state-owned teams operated. Leventis had to manage its relationship with the Ibadan fans. Flash Flamingoes FC went through hell playing inside the Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin. The fans’ favourite was Bendel Insurance FC. The defunct New Nigeria Bank FC had a similar problem of acceptance. In fact, games involving these teams and their traditional local rivals threatened public peace, as the security operatives had to be at their best for peace to reign before, during, and after matches. In one of such needless skirmishes, Bendel Insurance FC’s chairman, the late Major Ojo lost his life in a car crash very close to the stadium while trying to rescue the match referees from being lynched by irate fans. Gallant soldier, if you ask me. May his soul continue to rest in peace.
