Daily Independent (Lagos)
Peter Edema
12 February 2009
Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has called for the establishment of a truly professional football league by African countries as a means of eradicating poverty in the continent.
Consequently, he asked FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, to help alleviate poverty in Africa with the aid of football by assisting African countries in the development and improvement of their football leagues.
FIFA, he said, can lend its weight, its immense goodwill and brand to the cause of poverty reduction by focusing on steps that will help facilitate the development of a truly competitive African Football League.
The governor, who made the call on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the Confederation of Africa (CAF) Congress at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Lagos, said establishing a truly professional football league will help reverse exodus of African talents to Europe.
Fashola, who noted that poverty is the greatest challenge confronting the growth of football in Africa, said since football has provided many rags to riches stories from Pele to Maradona; George Weah to Ronaldo; Jay Jay Okocha to Nwankwo Kanu, to mention a few, "the truth is that it can deliver more. It is an industry where globalisation works. I am therefore of the firm belief that it is possible with football to systematically reduce poverty in Africa."
In doing this, he said African countries must set up a truly professional football league where players are rewarded commensurately "Although the exodus of Africa's football talent to Europe has accelerated significantly since the early 90s, it is important to recognise that this emigration process induced by poverty can be curbed by a sincere intervention of the relevant international organisations in developing African Football Leagues.
"We can turn this brain drain and talent export into brain gain and talent professionalism if African states, such as Nigeria, develop a truly professional league that harnesses the finished talent and rewards him commensurately for his talent rather than export him as a mere raw material," Fashola said.
But in doing this, he said, this requires the right level of investment and proper management, noting that African footballers would have preference for trading their skills in Africa.
"I look forward to that moment that a player of Asian, European or American extraction playing in Africa would be named the African footballer of the Year because he earns his living from an improved African league that is big enough to afford his talent. I believe this is achievable," he said.
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