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Ondo FA is marginalizing private clubs, says Akure-based agent

By Oluwaseun Akingboye, Akure
21 January 2020   |   4:07 am
A Football administrator and proprietor of Moyero FC, Olanrewaju Moyero has decried what he termed ‘outright marginalization’ of private football clubs by the Ondo State Football...

Players of Sunshine Stars of Akure warming up for a recent NPFL match

• ODSFA boss disagrees
A Football administrator and proprietor of Moyero FC, Olanrewaju Moyero has decried what he termed ‘outright marginalization’ of private football clubs by the Ondo State Football Association (FA) and football administrators.

According to him, the government-owned association does not encourage private football club owners in the state.

Moyero spoke in Akure at the inaugural ceremony of Ondo State Chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Parley.

Moyero revealed that he led his club to participate in the maiden edition of the Bet9ja Football League in Ekiti State to make a ‘statement’ to the FA in Ondo State.

He stressed that the FA needs to start seeing other clubs in the state as contemporaries to Sunshine Stars FC, and not only to promote the government-owned club.

“Ondo FA see private football as their enemy,” he said: “What we did was to send message to Ondo State Football Association since they are not ready to encourage private clubs.

“Not until when we begin to develop the culture of allowing the underrated clubs to raise their head, football will not move forward both at the state and national level.

“With all sense of apology, I want to say, that Ondo state Football Association and football administrators in the state are not ready to encourage private football owners.

“Let Ondo FA and football administrators know that talents are not in Sunshine Stars alone. There are lots of talents in those clubs, which they ignored.

“In 2010, Moyero FC played in the final against Sunshine Stars. Then, an allotment had to be given to the private club and the government club. They paid Sunshine Stars, while we had to fight for more than one year and six months before they could pay me N4.5 million.

“And they paid Sunshine Stars more than N25 million. We were supposed to be paid the same amount. We fought for over one year, and I had to petition the sitting governor before they could pay us N4.5 million. We spent more than N3 million on every FA Cup match we participated,” he alleged.

Speaking about players’ development, Moyero stated that until football administrators started seeing development of players from the grassroots, football would not develop in the country.

He advised players not to make travelling abroad their priority, adding that their career could be developed in the country with good agents announcing them to the world.

But the Vice Chairman of Ondo State Football Association (ODSFA), Henry Akingboju, said the FA had cordial relationship with all football clubs in the state.

“Since he (Moyero” has been registering his club in the state, have we not been supporting him?,” Akingboju queried. “He has played FA Cup final before and he has equally represented Ondo State Football Association in the play-off before now.”

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