The Over
Crowded Premiership
Lovers of Liberian football are certainly in the thick of things
with the opening of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) 2009
National league.
With eighteen Premier clubs, ten First Division clubs and eleven
Second Division clubs, spectators who enjoy the various clubs will
be itching to thwart threats from their respective opponents with
the aim of winning silver ware at the end of the season.
But, the major focus like in many parts of the world is the top
flight. The sponsor-less premiership is comprised of eighteen clubs
with some believing that for the fact that each club will play 34
matches, it is an indicator that the clubs will be properly tested
and as well, the competition would be much tense.
But, the idea of the local football house drawing up a league with
18 teams is simply a pointer that the league is over crowded, and
there will indeed be a plethora of problems as the season
progresses.
Firstly, it is not just the quantity of clubs in a league that makes
it competitive, but the quality of the teams, in terms of the
chemistry, playing style, hunger, desire etc.
To have 18 clubs in this tiny West African nation of ours where the
whole country is not opened football wise, suggest that the relevant
authorities are more concerned of appeasing people who are probably
potential voters in the LFA elections or the technical prowess or
know how is just lacking.
Prior to the civil crisis where the whole of the country was opened
football wise, there were sixteen teams with clubs like Young Eagles
and Mighty Sparrow in Harbel, Margibi County which is 45 miles away
from the capital Monrovia, Lamco Enforcers in the western part of
the country, Nimba, roosters in the central region of the country,
Gbarnga, and a host of other clubs outside the capital.
Currently, all but one of the 18 clubs is out of the capital
Monrovia, as Mighty Blue Angels is in Harbel. With a vast majority
of the players based in Monrovia it is too prone to believe that the
country's league has 18 clubs.
In truth, one does not need to play 34 matches to be able to compete
in continental football. Such argument is a defeated one, as five
times African club champions Al-Ahly is ruling the Egyptian top
flight that comprises just 16 teams where the clubs are in the
various regions of the country.
Also, Tunisia that is on record of making strides in the continental
club competion has just 14 clubs in its top flight, but the likes of
Esperance, Etoile du Sahel and and CS Faxien are power houses in
continental club football.
In Morocco, where the likes of Raja Cassablanca, FAR Rabat are
making head ways on the continent are formidable sides in that
country's top flight that comprises 16 teams. Algeria with the
famous JS Kabilye has a league of 17 clubs.
2008 African Champions league runners up Cotton Sport Garoua are in
the Cameroonian top flight with 14 teams. The organized South
African league has 16 clubs, while Angola and Ghana are with 14 and
16 teams respectively.
The most interesting thing of these leagues is that the clubs are
based in various parts of the country, and not ninety five percent
of the clubs been based in the Capital as is the case with Liberia.
Africa's most populous country Nigeria has 20 teams in its top
flight just two short of Liberia. With a massive football country
like Nigeria where the population is huge, one cannot argue the fact
that they have 20 clubs.
The Nigerian FA could have even promoted more clubs to the top
flight, but, they do things according to their standards.
It is not just about having an influx of clubs in the name of
competition, it is the issue of quality clubs that would make the
league unique.
Some argue that a country like England or Spain is endowed with a
classic league due to the 20 clubs. But, this is quite erroneous. It
is about the club's motivation where the clubs have huge bank
accounts, players well paid and the league been sponsored, and the
clubs can benefiting a lot. They as well based in various parts of
the country, and theirs is not a capital city league.
The various leagues in Europe and many parts of the world are
organized by their standards. That is why a country like Sweden is
not insisting that it be like England and others in terms of the
number of clubs, as it has just 16 teams while Israel has 12 clubs.
One major problem that could emerge in the Liberia so called
premiership is the idea of transport. With 18 clubs and less than
five venues, most games will be played outside the capital where a
lot of the clubs are based.
At some stage during the season, clubs without any hope or ambition
of winning silver ware will either forfeit or travel with deplete
squads as they will be out of funds due to the lack of sponsors.
This would make the league more spice less and less attractive.
As an antidote, it would be prudent that at the beginning of the
season, the league be trimmed to just 14 clubs, and sponsors be
brought in to enable fans see good football which would indeed serve
as a spur as clubs engage the rest of the continent in continental
football.
Let it be made known that it is not just about quantity but quality.
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