Soname's Prophecy on NPFL Clubs and Continental Ambitions Resurfaces

After a 5-1 humiliation of Nigeria League champions Remo Stars by Mamelodi Sundowns in their CAF Champions League preliminary round first leg at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, sports lovers have recalled what Remo Stars owner Hon Kunle Soname said on The Abu Azeez Podcast a few months ago.
To him, clubs in the Nigeria Premier Football League are not ready to play on the continental stage. He cites the financial state of the league as the main reason for his conclusion.

“There is not enough money in this game for us in Nigeria. For us to compete with those guys, the money is simply not enough,” Soname said on The Abu Azeez Podcast.
“Here, they earn maybe 500/700 or in the maximum of 800 (thousand naira); something like that. But, we are playing against players who earn four or five thousand dollars in their own clubs. So, most likely, seven out of ten times, they’ll defeat us.”​

The Bet9ja chairman affirmed that if top clubs in Africa face NPFL clubs ten times, there is a high chance of winning seven easily because of the salary gap. He believes the league must improve player welfare and sign good players to compete. Every season, the best players often join bigger clubs. “The best players in our league now, next season, you will not see them again. Those other guys will buy them. So, how do you compete with them?” he added.