The lure of improved remuneration and welfare packages is spiriting away hordes of Nigeria’s latent sports talents and even early bloomers to nondescript locations within and outside Africa, where many end up not realising their potential, signing contracts that enslave them, and etching scars on country’s reputation, GOWON AKPODONOR reports.

The trend is not new, but it is becoming glaringly rampant and disheartening. Almost every club in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), including those in the lower ranks have lost talented players to clubs in remote places such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. Migration to obscure and nondescript teams in these and sundry locations, by these athletes, is in search of better remuneration and improved welfare conditions.

It is not only football that is hard hit by this development, track and field is also feeling the pangs. Research has shown that close to 120 Nigerian athletes in track and field migrated to various colleges in the United States last season alone. Sadly, only a few of them were in good standing to be considered to represent the country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Apart from fizzling out gradually, most of the athletes that migrated abroad cannot even reproduce the form they were in while competing for various states and clubs in Nigeria even though one of the major reasons they advance for migrating abroad is in search of better facilities and training opportunities. For obvious reasons, most athletes believe that overseas countries may offer superior training facilities, coaching, and support staff that would ultimately give them a competitive edge.

Southeastasiaglobe.com, in its publication, titled “Football in SouthEast Asia,” disclosed that many African footballers end up in countries such as Cambodia, Thailand and India after failing to ink their dream deals in Europe and other developed countries.

Like many economic migrants, once in Cambodia, the Africans are confronted with the harsh realities of the country’s developing football industry.

According to Nigeria-born Western University, Cambodia FC Coach, Ken Gadaffi, the absence of job security, meagre wages, and sundry employment-related challenges, which are becoming commonplace in Nigeria are forcing athletes to embark on a wild search for greener pastures everywhere under the sun.

But despite these financial conundrums, footballers that alight in Cambodia are reluctant to put their dreams on hold. For as long as they can, many hold out by joining the nearly 1,000-strong community of Nigerian teachers, NGO workers, businessmen and sports coaches.

Most of the migrants in Cambodia, according to reports, did not set out only to berth in the East Asian country, but were lured by dubious agents with promises of lucrative contracts in Europe only to be dumped in Asia after fleecing their families and friends of huge amounts of money.

It is this scenario, according to Gadaffi, that is pushing some players to the brink where they are faced with financial ruin, and sometimes to turn to a life of crime.

The pressure on athletes is, in some cases, compounded by many factors, especially where they are the breadwinners of their families. They, therefore, migrate to countries that offer them attractive financial packages, scholarships, or sponsorships.

For instance, 23-year-old Nelson Olatunde Oladiji, arrived in Cambodia as a 17-year-old boy after his family paid $4,000 on agent fees, airfares, accommodation and food for a one-month trial period in Camboidia. He was later given a contract worth only $200 a month.

The lad found himself in a cul-de-sac after all the money, which was a loan (that he had to repay) had been expended.

According to the report, his matter was made worse by the fact that he was issued only a one month visa, which his club, despite multiple assurances to the contrary, failed to extend.

As a result, on top of the money he’d invested to leave Nigeria, he had to pay a $1,000 fine for overstaying his visa, which he could not afford to extend himself – a problem that is more common than most care to admit, according to local football insiders.

On the number of Nigerian sportsmen and women currently in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and other South East Asian countries, Gaddafi told The Guardian that is hard to tell “because before now, there used to be many sportsmen active in football mainly, not really other sports.

“Cambodia alone had over 100 African players in their Premier League between 2010 and 2018. Same can be said for Thailand and Malaysia, but not so much in Vietnam and Indonesia because their standards are a bit higher.

“However, in recent times, there are many players in these countries that are not attached to any club. Cambodia, for example, currently has less than 10 Nigerians in their Professional Football league, but over 300 scattered about playing for amateur clubs.”

Gaddafi, who said that most of these sportsmen and women find other sources of livelihood when they fail to get attached to clubs, added that it was, however, wrong to assume that sports in these countries were not as developed as Nigeria.

“Some of these countries, including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia have good facilities and they pay well, far better than Nigerian clubs and the standard of living in these countries is also better than Nigeria. To me, I think it’s the frustration in Nigeria that is leading people to leave. The Japa Syndrome is hitting on everyone, footballers inclusive.

“However, the problem I see here is most players leave Nigeria without really understanding the game, many of them do not pass through the right academies, or clubs back home. They just apply for visas through dubious agents, pick their boots and travel only to get here and see a different lifestyle. So, my advice to young players who want to go to these countries is to seek proper guidance before moving.”

He said that most clubs in South East Asia no longer sign Nigerian players largely due to attitudinal problems on and off the pitch.

“These South East Asian countries have evolved beyond the way people back in Nigeria see them, so anyone who wishes to come to advance his career needs to do proper research and find out what exactly to do and not just come and be stranded. There are so many players that are now stuck in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and this is affecting our image generally.”

The Guardian gathered that Nigerian players now go to Ethiopia in search of better opportunities in their football league.

The players are not helped by the attitude of national team selectors, who prefer to invite a Tanzania-based player to the Super Eagles than anyone that is playing in the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL).

An instance is the case of former Bendel Insurance star, Benjamin Tanimu, who found his name among invitees to the Super Eagles after his transfer to Ihetu FC of Tanzania.

Just like Tanimu, another former Insurance star, Goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, earned a national team call up ahead of the games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe just after joining a Tanzanian team, Singida Black Stars Sports Club. These and many other issues continue to push some players at home to seek movements abroad.

As of today, many players believe that playing at home will not earn them call ups to the Super Eagles, just as they know that they will earn more money playing in countries like Tanzania, Ethiopia, Albania, Serbia, Romania, and Cyprus than they would do while in the NPFL.

Apart from all the above reasons, a former Super Eagles midfielder, Friday Ekpo, also believes that Nigerian players are forced to leave the country by an NPFL that does not encourage the stars to remain at home.

Ekpo said that players will not remain in any system that fails to take care of their needs, especially when they know that they will get better treatment elsewhere. He also accused local coaches of failing to build players to the level that they can stand on their own and command endorsements like their counterparts overseas.

“To say the truth, the league is not encouraging,” Ekpo said, adding: “It is not up to the standard that we expect. We thought it would be of a higher standard by now after many years of professional football in the country, but it is not like that… even the clubs don’t pay the players their allowances and sign-on fees anymore. These things are not helping matters and the coaches too are not getting younger players to replace the ones that are the ground, talents are no longer being discovered, which is very sad,” Ekpo stated.

For COJA 2003 silver medallist Victor Okorie, some of these athletes in the Diaspora lose track of their mission in their host countries and fail to fulfill their potential in their sport.

He said: “You know when some talented Nigerian athletes move to the United States for education, everything seems exciting because the university that recruited them takes care of all their bills, which covers feeding, housing, tuition, and sundry fees, etc.

“With all these, there’s nothing to worry about. All you are required to do is take your academics and the sport that you were recruited for seriously. Now, the question is, what are you studying at that university, because not every student-athlete is lucky enough to have sports contracts immediately after graduating from the university? So, if you graduate without a professional contract, or not majoring in a good degree, then you find yourself struggling.

“In this case, the last thing on your mind is how to survive, how to pay your bills, how to get legal status, because your student status has expired. These things are not easy, and that’s why you see that some promising, talented Nigerian athletes are never heard about again once they depart from Nigeria. It may interest you to know that in some instances, some of them go into crime.”

Such was the case involving two Nigerian athletes, Emmanuel Ineh and Toluwani Adebakin, who were in 2023 convicted for Internet fraud and sentenced to 10 years in jail.

According to a statement released by the US attorney’s office of the Southern District of Mississippi, the two Nigerians pleaded guilty to charges of “sending thousands of illicitly obtained proceeds to fraudsters in Nigeria as part of a larger mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.”

The two Nigerians, said to be roommates at William Carey University, were arrested after they were found culpable of committing Internet crimes.

Ineh represented Nigeria at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games where he won silver while Adebakin is a 200m and 400m runner.

Okorie said some of these athletes take to crime because they want to get rich fast without going through the process.

On athletes rushing to such countries as Cambodia and Malaysia, Okorie said they should rethink their decision, adding that Nigeria is a whole lot better than these countries.

“Considering the fact that we have capable hands in the National Sports Commission, led by Bukola, Director-General (DG), and Chairman, Mallam Dikko, who are moving Nigeria’s sports forward, I think any athlete thinking about traveling overseas should ask questions, and talk to people that specialise in that sport because failure to ask proper questions may put them in a desperate position and lead them to committing crimes and eventually going to prison and getting deported afterwards.”

A member of the Super Eagles’ squad that won the AFCON title at Tunisia ‘94 under coach Clemens Westerhof, Edema Fuludu, said that players always migrate to countries where their interests are better served.

He added, however, that the phenomenon could be curtailed by the provision of better working conditions for the players.

“Greener pasture means everyone is desirous of earning a better living. This simply implies that any carrot dangled at Nigerian players, who have not even proved their worth in the local scene, is swallowed hook line and sinker. The problem here is that no one has the right to stop a citizen who wants to emigrate, especially for a job opportunity.

“Stopping anyone means you are trampling on his or her fundamental human right to freedom of job or movement. Who would not want to migrate from an environment of so much uncertainty? He asked.

Fuludu stated that until clubs are properly managed with players treated as workers, who deserve their wages, this migration of talented footballers will continue.

“I understand that at the NPFL level, the issues of delayed and unpaid wages have reduced to a large extent, but the problem is still there. If NPFL is having such issues, what can we say of the lower leagues, including the female leagues?”

Fuludu also said that the preferential treatment given to overseas-based players is another factor pushing players to leave the country in droves. “It is also creeping into the Super Falcons. I am not saying the foreign-based players are bad, but the truth is that people in foreign clubs get the nod faster.

“Players who play in ‘unknown’ leagues or clubs, with the right media package get national team invitations faster. That is the reality. This tacit recognition is also responsible for players clamouring to go abroad regardless of where… they also get better remunerations compared to what is obtainable in Nigeria. But the unfortunate thing is that it is voluntary slavery.

“What can be done to prevent voluntary slavery is consistent education of players and parents or guardians to follow due process in regulation as prescribed by FIFA and the peculiarities of a member association.

“For example, before an international transfer certificate is issued to a player, the terms of contract has to be examined by the legal department of the State FA and then passed on to the NFF for checks, amongst other issues. Trafficking of players is a reality, and we have to find a way to curb it, especially of young footballers,” Fuludu stated.

One of Nigeria’s best-known track and field coaches, now based in the United States, Taiwo Ariyo, said that the nation needs a new approach in allowing athletes to join school teams in the U.S. National Collegiate Amateur Athletics (NCAA).

“Last season, close to 100 Nigerian athletes migrated to U.S. collegiate teams, but only a few of these athletes were seen representing the country at the Paris 2024 Olympics,” Ariyo said.

“Most of them have fizzled out and cannot even reproduce the form they were in while competing in Nigeria. I think the main reason many are in the U.S. is to Japa. They are not in the U.S. for the dream of achieving track and field greatness, but the need to survive.”

Ariyo, who is now head coach of Warner University, Florida track, added: “Once some of our athletes get to the U.S. collegiate system, they don’t find it very easy, and their morale declines. The Nigerian sport authorities need to try and give the athletes going to the U.S. guidance, counsel and support.

“I think if we show them love; that we care as a nation, ensuring that they know that their country loves them, this could change the paradigm. We need to monitor them, praise them and push them to go higher.

“This is because the competition is high here in the U.S. We should commend those who are doing well back home and mostly support those struggling. Let us view it from the perspective that their success is the success of our country as a whole.

“Remember, the best of the best is coming to the American college system from all over the world, and so, the competition is fierce,” Ariyo stated.