By Akeem Busari
Debates and criticisms over the proposed N2 million minimum wage for players in the Nigeria Premier Football League has not abated, as more stakeholders in the Nigerian football fraternity, including Chief Ebi Egbe, Chief Executive Officer of Monimitchelle Sports Facility Construction Company, have continued to throw their hats into the ring.
Speaking on the vexed matter, Egbe, described it as a classic case of putting the cart before the horse.
Renowned as one of Nigeria and Africa’s best sports facility experts, Egbe remarked, “you cannot legislate professionalism, while ignoring the foundation of professional football.
“How can clubs be forced to pay ₦2 million monthly when many NPFL pitches are still unsafe, substandard, and unfit for elite football?
“A player’s first welfare is not his salary, it is the pitch he plays on every week. No serious football nation prioritizes wages over infrastructure.
“Better pitches reduce injuries, improve the quality of football, attract sponsors, increase broadcast value, and ultimately generate the revenue needed to pay higher salaries.”
He also queried the NSC for talking about a ₦2 million minimum wage, before talking about mandatory pitch standardization for every NPFL club?
“Without standard pitches, the proposed salary structure is not football reform, it is political populism. Fix the pitches, enforce club licensing, raise infrastructure standards, then demand higher wages.
“Professional football is built on standards, not slogans. Until every NPFL club plays on a certified, professionally maintained pitch, a ₦2 million minimum wage is simply starting from the wrong end,” added.
