Super Eagles’ legendary playmaker, Austin Okocha, has reiterated his desire to see the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) grow into a prominent place in the continent’s football landscape, reports Soccernet. ng reported.
Okocha recently caused a stir when he openly admitted that he prefers watching the English Premier League than the NPFL. This statement was heavily criticized.
However, the former Paris Saint-Germain maestro remained undaunted and reiterated his determination to be honest about the current state of the NPFL and the need for improvement.
In an interview with Brila FM, Okocha said:
“At this stage in my life, I think it’s unfair to lie to the public. So when we talk about getting better, when we talk about improving, when we talk about meeting expectations. When I talk about it, I’m trying to hide it.
“I think it’s time to tell each other the truth.”
Mr Okocha’s candid assessment reflects his belief that the NPFL has not lived up to its potential, which really disappoints him.
“I said I would rather watch the Premier League on TV than the NPFL, because we are not where we should be. Because it’s painful to see something based on something like, ‘I haven’t been able to do it.’ ” he said.
Added.
Despite these reservations, Okocha said the NPFL’s recent efforts to improve standards, particularly the various off-season efforts that have brought fans back to stadiums to watch the country’s best teams and players, I admire the tournament.
“Yes, now we seem to have realized this and we have started organizing exciting tournaments and the club is now taking the initiative to ensure we do the right thing,” Okocha said. Stated.
“And that’s what we aspire to, and why we made this statement, so that we can wake up and bring people into our local leagues. To understand that you have to start attracting people.”
However, the former Super Eagles captain stresses that more needs to be done, especially in the areas of refereeing, player welfare and safety, if the NPFL is to progress to the next level.
Okocha called for further commitment and sustainable investment to further develop the league as desired.
“We need to design the stadium so that people can go to the stadium and watch the match without any inconvenience,” Okocha said. “We have to make sure we get the right result, not the home team must win syndrome. We want to see a good, attractive league.” p>
Okocha briefly played for Enugu Rangers before heading to Europe where he began a career playing for clubs in Germany, Turkey, France and England. He retired as one of Africa’s most talented players.
