The chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Football Association (FCT FA), Mouktar Mohammed, believed Nigerian football clubs can become a success story in terms of growth and development, using the FC Bayern Munich model.
Mohammed spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria from Munich, Germany, where he is currently on a tour of Bundesliga side, FC Bayern Munich Football Club, noting the German club have continued to lay down the standards for the rest of the world, in terms of financing, structure, sponsorship and followership.
“I had the rare opportunity to see the dynamics that have made the clubs in the German top-flight the most profitable in world football.
“I think Nigerian clubs can indeed learn a lot from Bundesliga sides who go into commercial partnership with local companies in their respective areas of interest.
“They draw financial strength from such contracts, rather than go cap-in-hand to state governors, who in Nigeria, will starve them of funds,” he said.
The FCT boss said the tour brought to the fore the begging question of why Nigerian clubs were always begging from hand- to-mouth from self-serving state governors.
“These governors usually see the clubs as mere pawns to be used in their hands to fester their selfish and inordinate desires. Unlike the government ownership club structure in Nigeria, German clubs in the Bundesliga operate under the 50+1 rule structure that stipulates that teams are majority- owned by German club members.”
NAN reports that the Bundesliga was established in 1962 in Dortmund by the German Football Association.
Its first season started in 1963 but its structure and organisation, along with Germany’s other football leagues have undergone regular changes right up to today.
The Bundesliga is now being operated by the German Football League, which is the Nigerian equivalent of the Premier Football League Board, chaired by Gbenga Elegbeleye
Mohammed said that unlike the Nigerian League, which is mired in financial troubles, the Bundesliga is financially strong and founded on a business model that mandates clubs to be majority-owned by German club members.
“This is basically to discourage control by a single entity, which accounts for great support that a team like Bayern Munich enjoy from residents of Munich.
“Bayern, for instance, draws its support from locals in Munich, creating a sense of belonging for the fans, who see the club as their own and generally feel compelled to support them, through thick and thin,” he said.
He noted that all these generally accounted for why a club like Bayern had sold all its tickets for the 2023-2024 season since February. (NAN)
