2016 CHAN: Fans tell Nigeria to learn from Dr Congo’s domestic league

Soccer fans in Ebonyi have hailed the Democratic Republic of Congo for its victory at the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN), attributing the success to its “seamless’’ domestic league system.

The fans also said that Nigeria needs to learn from the way DR Congo manages its league to correct the anomalies in Nigerian football and the ineptitude of football administrators.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Leopards defeated the Eagles of Mali 3-0 in the competition’s final played at the Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda on Sunday.

The Leopards thus won the competition for a second time after winning the inaugural edition in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, in 2009 with a 2-0 victory over the Local Black Stars of Ghana.

The fans told NAN on Monday in Abakaliki that the victory reflected the sound organisation of DR Congo’s local league which has become a model in Africa.

The Secretary of Ebonyi Football Association, Desmond Ome, said that the dominance of DR Congo’s clubs in continental competitions reflected in the astute display of its team at CHAN 2016.

“The players played as if they feature for one club though they are recruited from several clubs across the country.

“They displayed a high level of team cohesion with the requisite tactical awareness which made them to dominate other teams in the competition,’’ he said.

Bethrand Awoonor, a Ghanaian living in Abakaliki, noted that the dominance of CAF Champions League defending champions, TP Mazembe in Africa, showed the quality of its country’s league.

“The Ghanaian national team has up to four regulars in TP Mazembe, as the club rank among the best three most remunerated teams in Africa.

“Whenever Ghana’s foreign-based players arrive for a national duty, there is no marked difference between a player such as Solomon Asante and those from Europe in terms professionalism and affluence,’’ he said.

Chika Ude, defunct Nitel-Vasco Dagama FC of Enugu player, said that DR Congo had virtually overtaken reputed North African teams in domestic football pedigree.

“TP Mazembe for instance, has been dominant in recent continental club competitions even defeating the North Africans in their dreaded `cauldron’ to achieve victories.

“The club supplied about half of DR Congo’s team to CHAN 2016, a practice hitherto attributed to renowned North African teams such as Esperance, Alhy Nationale and Wydad Casablanca among others,” he said.

Uchenna Ikoli, Coach of amateur side, Colombia FC of Abakaliki, said that Nigeria had a lot to learn from DR Congo’s exploits in domestic league management.

“DR Congo and other successful countries in domestic football have democratically elected League Management Boards and not the interim bodies obtained in countries such as Nigeria.

“Players and club officials’ welfare are top priorities in these countries, while the active involvement of corporate sponsors ensures the provision of necessary facilities and logistics,’’ he said.

Mrs Nnedi Nwaka, a teacher and football enthusiast, called on the Nigerian Sports Ministry to correct the rot within the domestic league system to truly reflect the abundance of talents in the league.

“The present league cannot bring out the best in the players because they are being owed accumulated sign-on fees and other allowances by various clubs.

“The players are subjected to several uncondusive conditions while the organisers try to cover their administrative ineptitude through the inhuman ‘two matches-per week’ format,’’ she said. (NAN)