The Nigerian football legend Brown Ideye has spoken honestly with local fans and says that the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) cannot grow if people continue to concentrate on European competitions such as the English Premier League and La Liga.
“The NPFL will never get better if we only talk about the EPL and La Liga,” said Ideye.
His comments, shared on social media, started with a new discussion about why the NPFL is still struggling, while according to Footballrover, foreign competitions remain very popular in Nigeria.
“We have to promote NPFL or hide in shame”
The former Super Eagles striker, which played for clubs such as West Brom, Dynamo Kyiv, Olympiacos and Malaga, did not stop.
“We keep saying that we are the best in Africa, but sometimes we have to hide our faces in shame,” he wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) page.
Ideye, who also had a short spell with Enyimba, says it is disappointing that the top competition of Nigeria still does not get the support it deserves – while fans continue to concentrate on foreign competitions and ignore their own.
NPFL needs real support, not just talking
He asked a direct question:
“Do you want foreigners to appreciate the players of your country – what have you done to promote them?”
Ideye believes that improving the NPFL is not only about complaints. It needs better branding, stronger media attention and more involvement of fans.
He pointed out that fans are attracted to competitions such as the EPL and La Liga because of quality, good marketing and consistency. The Nigeria competition must do the same if it wants to gain support at home.
“Broading is not enough”
For Brown Ideye, simply claims to be the best in Africa nothing if the NPFL remains poorly promoted and supported.
“It’s time to stop hiding,” he said. “If we want the world to respect our competition, we must first respect and promote it.”
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