Jobs: A look into sports

Over the weekend, the national football coach, Mr. Stephen Keshi was relieved of his appointment as coach of the Super Eagles. Since his second coming, there has been a ding dong relationship between the Federation and the former Eagles captain. Right from when he was appointed prior to AFCON South Africa 2013, it has not being a roller coaster. It has always been a bumpy harvest of crisis and disruptions. Even after he won the Africa Cup, this suspicion with his employers did not cease. Nevertheless, the triumph cemented his place in the folklore of Nigerian football or sports heroism.

He is the first Nigerian to win the AFCON both as player and coach. This triumph also brought him close to politicians in Abuja. It was not surprising therefore, even when his outing in Brazil 2014 World Cup was less than average, yet it was difficult to let him go…

Let's face it, Coach Keshi's star power was not only for lifting trophies; he is also a pioneer. He was the first Nigerian to take the gamble of playing football abroad. He first journeyed to Ivory Coast before his long walk to European professionalism and cash in Belgium. After him, the pilgrimage to Europe began for hundreds and now thousands of Nigerian football players. This is the continent to go to if you want to make real money by playing football. And it is in Europe that football is not only well loved and appreciated, it is there that it first became a real business and a global brand employing hundreds of thousands of people and generating billions of dollars in income per year.

As Keshi was being sacked, another thing came to light too in Nigeria's blogosphere. A portrait of King Rashidi Yekini was carried aloft in honour of the man who scored our first goal in the World Cup (USA 1994). Yekini died a few years ago, and like always, we have moved on. We have completely forgotten “gangling” Yekini, the goal king. In spite of the gory details of what led to his death in Ibadan, what can anyone point to as what Nigeria has done for the memory of the man who brought joy to many hearts? Whereas his team mate, Keshi was being humiliated as coach back home, however in Victoria Setubal, Portugal, our hero was being honoured by those who appreciated not just the art of his sporting skills, but the extra Euros his skill brought to the economy of that community. Therefore, football or sports has gone beyond heroism but it has become big business.

Because at a point, it was difficult to even pay national team coaches' salaries, it is confusing to begin to understand why the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF will go cap in hand begging to have funds to pay our national team coaches. Is it that we don't understand how to do the sports' business thing or we do not have personnel who can implement strategies to revolutionise sports income? And this is where I invite the new administration at all levels that while considering investment priorities, sports must be among the top five such investments. There are many benefits for any investment in sports. Apart from bettering the health of citizens, it also reduces crime and encourages kids to stay in school. Every reasonable society will do anything to encourage those three benefits. Incidentally, there are more and the most critical at this point in Nigeria is creation of jobs!

There is serious youth unemployment in our country, yet we are not paying critical attention to improving and commercialising sports. Yes, I agree that sports are a capital intensive business, but it also makes capital returns. It is one area that most of the investment is on the individual. And a well groomed sports person can generate income by himself and even employ people. For example, a well trained and championship winning boxer can become a trainer of other boxers, who pay some cash in order to be trained. If properly managed, such individual may set up a small company akin to your regular SME where secretaries, accountants, marketers, managers, etc could be engaged. So long as government makes good policies on how to begin to harness talents and how to support such talents through the education system, the process will run its cause. The system will produce world class athletes and also well paid athletes and other professionals.

A state can chose to focus on three to four kinds of sports. Provide the facilities to enhance training, especially in schools so that this new sport business can be centred on education. Many top Nigerian athletes migrated to the United States in the 1980s simply because of the policy of the Sports Commission at the time. These athletes won scholarships into American colleges (universities) and came out to become coaches after their active years. Some did return to Nigeria but our system of course frustrated them to oblivion. We need to return to the years where we paid attention to sports and education.

Part of that will be to get government out of direct owing of sporting clubs like football clubs. The era is dead. It is just not sustainable. With the cash crunch affecting Nigeria at the moment, it is disheartening to find football clubs owing 19-months salary arrears. Because it is government, it is difficult to force compliance. I think in the spirit of business and in order to begin the process of turning around our sports, state governments must hands off running football. Football is not a charity organisation, it is big business. The money they channel to these clubs should be put to better use. Sell the clubs to interested individuals and companies, let them run and compete with others. This will bring about better competition, better business, and better officiating.

I am certain that if the proper incentives and policies are implemented, within three years, the sports industry in Nigeria would have generated several hundreds of thousands of well remunerated employment. With our population, in 10-15 years time, our sport industry will be worth more than $5 billion. After all, the major reason Aliko Dangote wants to buy Arsenal Football Club, London is simply for business purposes. Arsenal is a profitable venture. If allowed, Africa's richest man may splash$800 million (if not more) to acquire that club, that's some money. If Dangote invests half of such cash in Nigerian sport, there will be a reversal of Keshi's 1980s pilgrimage. Instead of Europe, Nigerian youth will stay here to slug it out.

#uppercrust #sports