EUROPEAN FOOTBALL BLUEPRINT: WE WATCH THEIR LEAGUES — BUT DO WE EMBRACE THE STRUCTURES THAT PROTECT THEIR PLAYERS? WHY DON’T OUR PLAYERS HAVE THE SAME SEAT AT THE TABLE?

Nigeria does not have to copy Europe. But if we admire the product, we should understand how the people producing it are represented, protected and given a voice.

By Paul Lucky Okoku

Millions of Nigerians watch the English Premier League, Spain’s LaLiga and other European competitions every week.

We know the clubs. We know the managers. We wear the jerseys. We follow transfers. We argue about referees and VAR.

But perhaps we have concentrated too much on the product and not enough on the machinery behind it.