How Rivers United can break the 10-year NPFL champions jinx in Africa

Rivers United are the Champions of the 2021/2022 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season. They broke many records on the way to a first-ever title.

They recorded the highest-ever points total in the NPFL, with 77; conceded the fewest number of goals -24; and achieved the biggest margin of victory in 17 years, 10 points from second-placed Plateau United. It was also Eguma’s first as the longest-serving manager in the NPFL.

The Stanley Eguma-led side has reaped the benefits of this triumph as the players and officials got $20,000 (about N8 million at the official rate) from the State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

The governor has also promised the same bounty if the team makes it into the group stage of the CAF Champions League next season.

That is the million-dollar question.

After breaking and setting records on the way to becoming NPFL champions, the real challenge is to manage an excellent outing as the Champions of Nigeria.

A Liverpool-like ascendancy

Rivers United’s achievement can be likened to Liverpool’s in the 2019/20 English Premier League season, where Jurgen Klopp led the Reds to its first EPL title in 30 years.

Consecutively for two seasons, Rivers United were title contenders. In the abridged 2019/20 season, Rivers came third with 45 points after 25 games.

In the subsequent one, they also displaced Kwara United to represent the country on the continent as second runner-up.

In the just-concluded season, Rivers United were consistent from start to finish.

Rivers United were top of the league for about four months in the league – a phenomenal performance. This consistent form is heartening and their record over the last three seasons talks of a plan by the club owner and management on getting to the top.

Does this portend a good showing on the continent next season

10-year history of past league winners in the continent

The performance of NPFL champions in the last 10 seasons on the continent has been abysmal.

Sometime late last year, PREMIUM TIMES did a feature story about the poor display of Nigerian clubs at the CAF inter-club competition.

Earlier, before the published report, Akwa United, the champions of the league lost out of the qualifiers to a Tunisian side, CR Belouizdad.

NPFL champions’ performances since 2012

The table shows that no NPFL champions have not made it past the CAF Champions League group stage in the last 10 years. Only Enyimba and Lobi Stars have reached the group stage since 2012.

CR Belouizdad ousted the 2021 NPFL champions in the first preliminary round, thus it has become a repetition for NPFL champions to perform poorly on the continent.

Can Rivers United buck the trend?

What are the reasons?

Enitan Obadina gave four likely reasons why NPFL champions have bad outings on the continent.

Bad luck with draws, inadequate funding, migration of players, and the lateness of starting the league are the major problems afflicting NPFL champions to put up outstanding performances.

“Concerning the inability of NPFL champions to go far in African competitions, it’s a story of three to four angles you need to look at.

“First, you need to look at the luck of the draw. Because of some poor performances, Nigerian teams get to face tough opposition. The last time Rivers United represented Nigeria in the Confederation Cup, they met Enyimba, who dropped from the Champions League.

“They have made it to the group stages before where they couldn’t progress, so they have a bit of experience. So when the country hasn’t performed very well in terms of football, you see lower clubs facing other tough teams.”

Obadina also faulted the funding plan for these clubs. “Funding for all NPFL clubs, either the ones relegated or champions, are backed by the government-90% of our clubs are government-backed, so if the governor isn’t interested or non-affiliated with football, funding becomes a problem.

“A good example is Enyimba, last season. They had to make publicity stunts before getting funds to prosecute away matches.”

Enitan bemoaned the fact that players in winning teams see the title to move to better-paying leagues. “It is like a revolving door for NPFL players in the league.

Becoming champions means they are going to move to bigger African leagues and sometimes lower-level European countries.

“The season hasn’t ended yet and Victor Mbaoma of Enyimba has left for Algeria. One of Rivers United’s most important players in clinching this title, with 14 goals, Rafiu Ishaq Kayode, is about to leave for Europe. That means one of their most lethal forwards won’t be playing with Rivers United on the continent. They are already depleted, they need to look for a quality replacement.

“You can’t always get lucky in terms of replacements that can perform on the continent because African Football is technical and you have to consider a lot of players. We don’t know how many of their players will be lost by the time the league resumes.

“So they will need to recruit. If they lose 15 players, they need to buy 15 players to play a more established team. They will need to play against a team that has more consistency and continuity. It takes time before all the players get to know themselves,” Obadina added.

Despite the good work of the LMC, we don’t always start the league on time. There is a difference between playing league matches and friendly games. So performing consistently on the continent becomes a problem. If all these things aren’t factored in, it becomes a problem.”

Is the league less competitive?

Aderonke Ogunleye, a sports journalist, said that the poor display is because of the poor organisation by the league authority.

“We can’t totally say that the league is less competitive looking at CHAN. CHAN is a tournament meant for home-based players and Nigeria usually does well. There are some factors, of course, militating against them doing well, which are caused by the organisers of the league, looking at their lackadaisical attitude, poor organization, and all others.

ALSO READ: NPFL: Wike splashes Dollars on Rivers United

As we know, Nigeria is full of football talents but proper organisation and poor governance are killing the league. Hopefully, the League Management Company can do something, have a look at it and see how they can actually revive it.”

Will Rivers United prove critics wrong?

Ogunleye also opined that experience garnered in the past should work wonders for Eguma’s boys during their continental campaign, having played on the continent in the last two consecutive seasons.

“They stand a great chance of going far this time around. From the beginning of the season, you can see that they have been doing well. They participated in a continental tournament and they were able to keep the game running because they were already in the mood. They were in form and had enough time to recruit very well.

“When you look at their performance in the league, they are the highest scoring team and lowest conceding team. They are very good in the attack and defence is superb.

“So, I think their experience from last year’s continental should be able to guide them to do well. To know what to expect, to prepare them for the next continental tournament.

“I have a feeling they will break the recent jinx of not being able to go through group stages. If you ask me, I see them playing in the semifinal, if not finals, because Rivers United is a good team and they have great legs.”

Not repeating past mistakes

Obadina said Rivers United might not experience the problem Akwa United faced during their continental campaign last year.

“It’s simple just to say that Akwa United were ousted from the competition; there were a lot of factors. They played a tough North African team. Not just that, immediately after the season ended-they lost key players.

“The departure of those players set them up for failure from the onset. They brought in old legs just before the second leg when they had won the first game. They needed all the concentration but didn’t get it in the second leg because of distraction.”

“If such doesn’t repeat itself with Rivers United, then they are probably safe. They will also get a new governor next year when the important part of the season will be happening. Hopefully, they are given enough money to sign one of the best players and keep them.

“Now they have better-suited players who have the experience like Sikiru Olatunbosun. They also have a coach that has experience on the continent, Fatai Osho, who is the Technical adviser.”

The preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League kicks off in August but it is not likely that the NPFL season will have resumed by the time the competition begins, which will hamper Rivers United’s prospects.