President FC Ebedei of Sagamu, Barrister Churchill Oliseh, has advised Nigerian club sides to start declaring profits at the end of every season because he claimed football is profit oriented and strictly business.
Barrister Oliseh, who was guest speaker at the third anniversary of vibrant sports group on social media, Family United By Football (FUBF), said government really had no business in managing football teams, as football is a self-sustaining business with profits.
Oliseh noted that governments were a willing victim in the unfortunate situation of Nigerian football as they kept pumping money into professional football that did not need the money.
Such monies, he explained were better spent on developing grassroots football.
He said football enthusiasts should be shareholders in football and not stakeholders (which anyone can be) as they can make profit when they invest in football.
“Football is operated upside down in Nigeria where governments sponsor professional teams, leaving grassroots football.
“Football must be run at a profit. Football is a business; if there is no profit, it is not business.
“If you invest properly, you will make your profit,’’ Oliseh stressed.
The elder brother of former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh, further stated that; “To me a successful football club side is one who declares profit at the end of every season just like we have it in Europe and even in most Africa countries.
“Our league football has failed to grow because clubs run it at loss every season, forgetting that football is strictly business, and profit oriented, club football is not all about three points like we use to have it in Nigeria.
“Like I use to tell who care to listen that, how much do you receive for winning the league in Nigeria? And estimate how much you have spent before clinching the league title. The government has started paying less attention in funding most of the clubs just because they are running at huge loss every season.
“How many club sides in our league declare dividends to their shareholders? So, I will just appeal to our club sides to start declaring dividends for our league to be more glamorous and attractive,” stated the stocky built astute administrator who is fondly called ‘The Source of Nigeria exceptional players’.
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