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Football Fanaticism in Nigeria Great For Business, Bad for Government?

Football Fanaticism in Nigeria Great For Business, Bad for Government?

“But that is not the case in the present day Nigerian league where all major clubs are government-owned. If the present government is supporting football aggressively and the next government doesn’t seem to like football that much, the aftermath would affect the performance of the team,” he said.

Tope Ifedayo, a football fan however disagreed. He said that historically, sports fanaticism in Nigeria started in the 70s and 80s during the days of 3SC Football Club of Ibadan, Stationeries Stores Football Club of Lagos, and Kano Pillars of Kano states – all government-owned teams.

“The problem is not really about ownership, it’s about the organization of the league. Football fans are not stupid, they know when you are trying to win a game at all cost. And that is why they are staying away from the stadiums even when there is no gate fee,” Ifedayo said.

Femi however believes things are changing in the league as more people are returning to the stadiums to watch the games.

“Although only few football fans know players in the Nigerian league, the fact that they are coming back to the stadiums means the case is not hopeless.  Furthermore, there is a lot of improvements in the league and with more media attention, the fans will begin to be passionate about the game,” he said.

Ifedayo however believes that the local players need to do a lot of work on their games to earn the respect of the fans.

“Didier Drogba is a goal standard striker, how many Nigerian strikers can play like him? If you want the fans to be crazy about you, you have to give them something to be crazy about,” he said.

Concerning the growing case of sports fanaticism in Nigeria, he said it is a good omen for sports but turns bad when lives are lost.

“While it is good to support a team that represents your ideals, I think it is stupid to stab, kill or be killed over a 90-minute football match played by players that don’t even know your name. If you love the game and team so much, you should be smart enough to live to watch the next match.”