Nigeria’s Dangerous Love Affair With English And Spanish Soccer: How Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U, And Chelsea Stole Our Nation’s Soul And How We Can Get It Back

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“Nigeria’s Dangerous Love Affair With English And Spanish Soccer: How Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U, And Chelsea Stole Our Nation’s Soul And How We Can Get It Back”
Today, I’m coming for a sickness that has eaten deep into our national soul…
A madness that sees Nigerians wear Arsenal jerseys with pride —
Cry over Liverpool defeats — Fight over Manchester United —

Yet walk past empty stadiums in their own country without a second glance. Our politicians, our billionaires, even our pastors worship at the altar of British and Spanish football…

While Nigerian football — once the pride of Africa — bleeds and dies quietly in the gutter.

Today, on Ope Banwo Unplugged and Unscripted,

We are tearing the bandages off! We are asking the brutal questions:

  • Who really killed Nigerian football?
  • Why are we slaves to foreign leagues?
  • And can we ever get our pride back?

This is not just about sports… This is about the soul of Nigeria.

Our irrational madness for foreign soccer — especially the English Premier League — while our own Nigerian football bleeds to death.

Our irrational madness for foreign soccer — especially the English Premier League — while our own Nigerian football bleeds to death.

But before I get into my righteous tirade, allow me first to celebrate some Nigerian heroes who are still working hard to keep the candle of Nigerian football burning.

Congratulations to Kunle Soname, the visionary owner of Remo Stars Football Club, who has just led his team to victory as champions of the Nigerian National League!

Kunle Soname proves that when you invest properly, when you put structure and vision into the game, you can still build greatness here — on Nigerian soil.

We need more Kunle Sonames in this country!

THE MAYOR’S BRUTAL TIRADE
But alas, for every Kunle Soname, there are **millions of Nigerians — even governors, ministers, senators, and yes, even presidents — who have sold their football soul to England!

On Saturdays and Sundays, Nigeria shuts down for Manchester United vs Arsenal.

Bars are full. Streets are empty. Grown men — who can’t even name five players in Enyimba FC — are wearing Chelsea jerseys and screaming at DSTV screens.

Yet, our own Nigerian Premier League stadiums are empty!

Our players rot in obscurity!

Our football academies collapse from lack of support!

Even our government officials — who should be developing Nigerian sports — shamelessly tweet about Liverpool victories but cannot spend 30 minutes to watch a Nigerian league final!

It is a sickness, my people. It is an epidemic of mental colonization!

And today, we must call it out.”

We must call out Our dangerous and irrational obsession with foreign soccer leagues — especially the English Premier League — while our own Nigerian football bleeds to death!

And I raise this matter today under the urgent call of the Naija Lives Matter movement and our new national campaign to MAKE NIGERIA GREAT AGAIN — the MANGA Agenda.

Because make no mistake:

A nation that abandons its own talents, its own dreams, its own heroes — to worship foreigners — is a nation committing slow suicide!

When our streets are deserted because of Arsenal vs Manchester United, when our ministers and governors tweet more about Liverpool than Enyimba, when our youths wear Chelsea jerseys but can’t name their local club captains — we are not just losing football; we are losing our soul.

We are losing the spirit that can make Nigeria great again!

Sports, especially football, is more than entertainment. It is a powerful tool for economic growth, national unity, youth empowerment, and international prestige.

Yet we have allowed our own leagues to rot while we send billions of naira abroad to support foreign economies.

 

MY NIGERIAN SOCCER NOSTALGIA — REMEMBER WHEN?
Let me take you back to when Nigerian football was a religion:

The days of Enugu Rangers versus IICC Shooting Stars.

The rivalry of Iwuanyanwu Nationale versus Bendel Insurance.

Heroes like Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami, Rashidi Yekini walked our streets like gods.

You didn’t need to watch Arsenal to be excited about football.

You only needed to be alive when Enugu Rangers was playing IICC at Liberty Stadium!

Our stadiums were full.

Our newspapers celebrated local stars.

Our children dreamed of wearing Rangers’ jersey, not Manchester United’s!

We were proud.

We were united.

Where did we go wrong?”

SO, WHAT WENT WRONG? KILOSHELE?
We allowed corruption, poor leadership, and neglect to kill our local leagues.

We allowed our sports infrastructure to rot.

We allowed foreign worship to replace national pride.

But the good news is: We can take it back!

Today, let me propose 7 bold and controversial policies to rescue Nigerian football and restore our dignity.”

MY OWN 7 BOLD POLICY PROPOSALS TO RECLAIM NIGERIAN FOOTBALL

🎯 Policy Proposal #1: Mandatory Development Contribution from Foreign Clubs

Proposal:
Foreign clubs signing Nigerian players must donate a fixed percentage of the signing fee to grassroots football development in Nigeria — either to the player’s original academy or to a national youth football development fund.

Justification:
Nigerian academies and local clubs do the hard work of discovering and nurturing talents but get almost nothing when these players become stars abroad. This Policy Proposal ensures sustainability and rewards the Nigerian football pipeline.

“If you harvest from our farm, you must water our soil!”

🎯 Policy Proposal #2: Ban Public Officials from Attending Foreign Club Matches

Proposal:
Ban all Nigerian public office holders (Presidents, Governors, Senators, Ministers, DGs) from traveling abroad to watch foreign club soccer matches, unless Nigeria is participating in an international tournament like AFCON, the World Cup, or the Olympics.

Justification:
It is a disgrace and waste of public funds for leaders to prioritize foreign entertainment over national responsibilities. Leaders must set an example by supporting local sports.

“If you love Arsenal that much, resign and go become a full-time fan. Public service is not for fanboys!”

🎯 Policy Proposal #3: Luxury Tax on Foreign Soccer Viewing in Nigeria

Proposal:
Introduce a Luxury Tax on DSTV subscriptions focused on foreign sports channels and on tickets for viewing centers showing only foreign matches, with proceeds directed to Nigerian sports development.

Justification:
Nigerians spend millions yearly on foreign football without growing the local game. A ₦10 tax on viewing tickets or ₦500 annual levy on special subscriptions could generate billions to fund youth academies and stadiums.

“You can love Manchester United — but you must also pay small dues to build Enyimba and Rangers!”

🎯 Policy Proposal #4: Compulsory Grassroots Football Funding by State Governments

Proposal:
Mandate every State Government to allocate a minimum percentage of their annual budget (e.g., 0.5% to 1%) directly to grassroots sports development, including building mini-stadiums, academies, and organizing youth tournaments.

Justification:
True sports development starts from the grassroots. Without investment in local talents and infrastructure, Nigeria will continue exporting raw talents without developing a strong internal sports economy.

“You can’t harvest champions from barren fields. Invest first, celebrate later!”

🎯 Policy Proposal #5: Compulsory Free-to-Air Broadcast of Nigerian League Matches

Proposal:
Make it mandatory for at least one major national television network to broadcast a minimum of two Nigerian Premier League matches live every weekend, accessible free-to-air to all Nigerians.

Justification:
People cannot fall in love with what they cannot see. Visibility drives popularity. Consistent live broadcasts will build fan loyalty and attract corporate sponsorship to the Nigerian league.

“If we can’t see our heroes play, how can we ever learn to dream?”

🎯 Policy Proposal #6: National Honors for Nigerian Football Legends

Proposal:
Introduce a system of naming major stadiums, sports academies, and sports programs after Nigerian football legends such as Segun Odegbami, Rashidi Yekini, Christian Chukwu, and Stephen Keshi.

Justification:
We immortalize our history by honoring those who made it. Giving permanent national recognition to Nigerian sports icons inspires patriotism and motivates the next generation.

“A nation that forgets its heroes deserves no future champions.”

🎯 Policy Proposal #7: Mandatory Retention of Economic Rights by Local Clubs

Proposal:
Mandate that all Nigerian clubs transferring players abroad must retain a minimum 5% future sell-on right in the player’s contract, ensuring they benefit from future transfers.

Justification:
Without this protection, Nigerian clubs lose out completely once their players rise in value abroad. Retaining sell-on rights provides long-term income to strengthen local football clubs financially.

“If you raise the lion cub, you deserve a share when it becomes the king of the jungle.”


CLOSING RALLYING CALL
My fellow Nigerians, If we don’t love, respect, and build our own, who will?

The English Premier League will not build a stadium in Enugu.

Liverpool FC will not set up youth academies in Kano.

Chelsea will not create jobs for Nigerian coaches.

This is our fight. This is our future. This is our pride.

Let us wake up and save Nigerian football before it dies completely.

It’s time to MAKE NIGERIA GREAT AGAIN!

It’s our Pride.
It’s our Talent.
It’s our Nigeria.

This land is our inheritance — and we must make it great again, not tomorrow, not someday — but NOW!

If not us, then who?
If not now, then when?

The call to duty is not for the next generation — it is for those of us alive today!

Nigeria must rise, and it must start with us!