Refs killed Nigerian league, says Eboigbe

Sunday Eboigbe has laid the blame for the fall of the Nigerian league squarely at the doorstep of referees. The former Green Eagles defender argued that league football these days was so predictable as clubs only win at home while losing away. “It is the referees that killed our league.
Those days we frequently won matches away and lose at home, but that has since changed. It is corruption all the way now; they have spoilt the league for us,” Eboigbe said. “Now I defeat you when you come to my ground and when I visit your venue you beat me. Is that football? It is so predictable.
Is that the way it is in England? Nobody followed English football when we were playing because the fans believed in us; that we were even better than players in England, but after some time they spoilt everything. “We know what happens in those pre-match meetings where they do their deals; our football can’t improve like that. In Europe teams routinely win matches away, and if clean goals are scored nobody complains.”
The former New Nigeria Bank and Abiola Babes defence stalwart added that league football back in the ‘70s, ‘80s and up till the ‘90s, was so competitive and rivalry-driven that stadiums were filled to the rafters especially when the traditional clubs were in action. He said: “In the old Bendel alone we had four clubs. Beside Bendel Insurance and NNB we had Flash Flamingoes and another one I can’t remember now.
Back then fans would buy tickets one week ahead for matches between Bendel Insurance and NNB; the crowd was enough to intimidate the faint-hearted. “The year NNB started beating Bendel Insurance they didn’t believe it. Stephen Keshi, Franklin Howard, Henry Nwosu and the others were in the ranks of NNB then.

We beat them 2-1, they scored first but we leveled and went ahead, but now the crowd is gone, Ogbe is virtually empty. The referees are so deep in corruption, the fans know it and that is why they stopped going to the stadiums. I heard not long ago that the Nigerian league was the best in Africa, that is not true; as far as I am concerned our league is the worst in Africa.”