Former Super Eagles striker and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Brown Ideye, has delivered a scathing assessment of Nigeria’s domestic football structure following the country’s 4-0 humiliation by Sudan at CHAN 2024.
Reacting on social media on Wednesday after the crushing defeat that sealed the Super Eagles B team’s early exit, Ideye wrote:
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“Let’s keep lying to ourselves and keep blaming someone else every time we fail. We’re not good enough—that’s the bitter truth. It’s what you have, the coach will work with period. And we don’t have what it takes to compete on the bigger stage. And we keep lying to ourselves.”
The result marked Nigeria’s joint-heaviest CHAN defeat and their worst-ever performance in the tournament, exiting without a point or goal from their first two matches.
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When criticised for his tone, Ideye doubled down:
“You’re one of them that thinks we have the best league in Africa, Shame… the result you saw yesterday(Tuesday)shows that we have a long way to go when it comes to bringing out good talents from the home league.”
Context
It is worth noting that while Sudan’s CHAN 2024 squad is dominated by players from Al Hilal, the Nigerian team features a heavy presence from Remo Stars, with nine players from the NPFL 2024/25 champions making the roster.
In the latest CAF club rankings, Al Hilal sit just outside the continent’s elite, holding 11th position. By contrast, Remo Stars did not feature among Africa’s top 75 clubs.
From Nigeria, only two clubs made the rankings — Rivers United, placed 24th, and Enyimba, ranked 35th.
Outspoken Ideye
The 36-year-old, who returned to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) with Enyimba in December 2024 after almost two decades abroad, has been outspoken about the need for reform.
He recently caused a stir when he revealed deep concerns over welfare and bonus structures during his short stint with a “big” club like Enyimba, who, among other domestic achievements, are two-time African champions.
Speaking on the Bet9ja Home Turf podcast, Ideye alleged that Enyimba players are paid as little as N7,000 or N8,000 per day during away matches, with no fixed structure in place.
“At Enyimba, we were receiving N7,000 a day. Sometimes N8,000. It’s not even stable. One day it’s N7k, another day N8k.”
He explained that the allowance is typically sent to the team captain, who distributes it to players, but match-day expenses are often excluded.
“If we had a game on Sunday and travelled on Friday, they’d pay N7,000 for Friday and Saturday, but on match day, Sunday, you’re on your own. No allowance.”
Ideye also criticised the club’s practice of delaying match bonuses until the end of the season instead of paying them regularly.
“The worst part is you don’t get your match bonus weekly or monthly. They accumulate it and give you at the end of the season.”
Even those bonuses, he claimed, are inconsistent and based on arbitrary decisions.
“It depends on what the captain, chairman or director agrees on before the season. If it’s a game they really want to win, they may raise it to N30k or N40k. But on average, it’s N15k, sometimes N10k.”
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Players not selected for matches, he said, receive only about N5,000 as a token payment.
“When I got there, that’s what I met on the ground. I couldn’t believe it.”
While Enyimba have since refuted claims made by Ideye, the club didn’t provide any proof in this regard.
With Nigeria’s CHAN exit laying bare the gulf between the country’s ambitions and its domestic football realities, Ideye’s comments have reignited debate over the urgent need for structural reforms in the NPFL—covering player welfare, facilities, and competitive standards.
