Poor Facilities, Low Pay Kill West African Football Leagues – Nwabali

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has offered a blunt assessment of West African football, arguing that the region’s leagues lag far behind those in South Africa and Morocco due to deep-rooted structural failings.

Speaking in an interview with Brila FM, the former Chippa United shot-stopper said low player compensation is a major issue, pushing talented footballers to chase better-paying careers in Europe, South Africa, or Morocco.

Nwabali, who rose to prominence with Nigeria’s national team, also criticised the poor quality of stadiums and weak organisational frameworks across West Africa, contrasting them with the top-tier facilities and superior management commonly found in the South African and Moroccan leagues.

“In West Africa, our leagues are not as good. We want to go to Europe, we want to come to South Africa, we want to go to Morocco,” Nwabali said.

He added that pay is only decent at a certain level within a club, but not sustainable across the board.
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‘If your league is nice, you’re getting paid, you’re getting sponsors, what are you leaving for?” he asked.