BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Activities in the Nigeria Premier League  may be limited to just one match this Sunday afternoon as Sunshine Stars host Rivers United in a rescheduled match, the encounter however  marks 34 years since Nigeria elite division turned professional.

On the 12^th of May 1990, the Nigeria Professional Football league, NPFL was established. it the dawn of a new beginning as Nigerians, football followers looked up to greater feats in the Nigeria football.

It was on that day that Nigeria amateur elite players changed their names to professionals marking a new dawn in football in the country.

Without any fanfare, such that heralded the first North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1969 and the J-League of Japan in 1993, professional league kicked off in Nigeria. Like it is this Sunday, it was a single match that was played on the same date 34 years ago.

When Nigeria started the professional football, the  pioneer clubs  included the now defunct Lagos ACB, BCC Lions,  Bendel United (now defunct) and Enyimba FC.

Others were Highlanders of Jos (now Plateau United), Iwuanyanwu Nationale, (now Heartland FC) JIB, Kano Pillars, Obanta United (later VIP – now defunct), Ranchers Bees, Enugu Rangers Bendel Insurance and Stationery Stores.

An attempt to have one of the pioneer clubs pitched against the Crystal Palace of England, as a symbolical kick off of professional league failed.

After years of prolonged debates, the professional league finally kicked off with a Super Stores versus Iwuanyanwu Nationale opener at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.

The Owerri-based Iwuanyanwu, now renamed Heartland, dictated the pace of the away tie, winning 2-1. They kept their form and the pace until the season ended, winning the inaugural championship.

Apart from Iwuanyanwu winning the inaugural match of the professional league, two other clubs also had away wins in their first outings. Enugu Rangers beat their traditional rivals; Shooting Stars 1-0 in Ibadan, while JIB Rocks (later renamed Plateau United) won their first away game, 3-0 against Obanta United (later renamed VIP of Lagos) in Ijebu-Ode.

To make the league higher and make teams have appetite for goals, a new point-scoring device was adopted. Traditionally drawn games attracted just a point.

But the then NFA awarded two points for score draws and one for goalless draw games. The point-scoring device was in use from 1990 season to 1994. Three points are however awarded for won games.

Across ages, Enyimba have been the most successful, winning the professional league eight times. They are followed by the crowd-pulling Kano Pillars who won four times.

Shooting Stars, Heartland and Lobi Stars have each won twice. In 2012, the Nigeria Professional League had its best ranking as the topmost in Africa and the 24th in the world.

The Nigeria Football Federation will on Monday morning in Abuja stage an unveiling ceremony to formally present to the public, Mr. Finidi George, as the new substantive Head Coach of the Senior Men National Team, Super Eagles.

Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, alongside Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Tinuke Watti, President of NFF Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau and the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, are among prominent personalities expected at the unveiling.

George, who passed up an opportunity to coach a second-tier team in Spain to return to Nigeria and lead two-time CAF Champions League winners Enyimba FC, won the tough-as-nails Nigeria elite division title with the People’s Elephant in his second season and has left the club in with a chance of retaining the title this season, with six matches to go.

When George formally bowed out of the Aba giants days ago, Enyimba FC remained in third place on the NPFL log, with 53 points from 32 matches, four adrift of table-toppers Enugu Rangers and three off second-placed Remo Stars.

The 52-year-old spent 20 months as assistant to Portuguese José Peseiro from the summer of 2022, during which the Super Eagles qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and came within 28 minutes of a fourth African title in Cote d’Ivoire three months ago.

George, who as a player won 62 caps for Nigeria at senior level, during which he won the Africa Cup of Nations gold, silver and bronze, and played in two FIFA World Cup finals, has the immediate task of picking maximum points from 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa (home) and Benin Republic (away) in a few weeks. 

Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and member FIFA Executive council, Amaju Pinnick, has called on the Glasshouse to give the newly appointed coach of the Super Eagles, Finidi George, its full support with his desire to having foreign personnels as back-room staff.

After weeks of speculations, George, was announced as the Super Eagles’ handler,  succeeding his former boss, Jose Peseiro, who left the position after 20 months.

However, the intrigue of composition of assistant coaches has been another debate for now with the former Super Eagles winger opting for foreign staff ahead of fellow contestants for the plum job in Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke for the role.

Speaking to Arise TV on Thursday, Pinnick noted that the former Ajax star should be allowed to pick his preferred choice of coach to assist him, citing instances of those who have done so before him.

“For his assistants, it is very tricky. It is normal for him to demand foreign assistants if he so desires.

“Bonfrere Jo was a foreign assistant to Westerhof and later took over the job. Oliseh had a foreign assistant, Siasia had a foreign assistant. It is not new and it is not bad for him to demand the same,” Pinnick pointed out.”

  Samson Siasia was cited as a Nigerian who opted for a foreign assistance while in charge of Nigerian teams – the Flying Eagles and later the Super Eagles.

  He had Simon Kalika, a Dutchman as his assistant. Earlier, there have been reports that the NFF could not afford a foreign-based coach as the first team head coach but could afford a foreign-based assistant coach, which they opted for with a local head coach.

Meanwhile, in appointing a foreign coach as Finidi’s assistant, Pinnick is of the opinion that it is within the capability of the NFF.

“If there are not enough funds to achieve that, it can always be discussed with Finidi.

“Backroom staffing is more scientific right now. If he says he needs three backroom assistants, perhaps one for goalkeeper training, the others are for other positions.

“The assistant coaches are the engine room of the success of any coach because they see what the coach can’t see.

“But then, it depends on funding from the federation, but I think it is not out of place. Finidi should be allowed to do what he wants to do. But if there is a paucity of funds, they can discuss it with him,” he added.

Reports shows that NFF has recently approached US-based Nigerian coach Michael Nsien to be an assistant to George in the management of the Super Eagles team.

However, he has reportedly rejected the offer from the NFF which is based on being paid per game. He wants the Nigerian football body to match his US-based salary before he can agree to the terms.