Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has openly criticized West African football leagues especially Nigeria and Ghana for poor standards compared to South Africa and Morocco.
Speaking to Brila FM recently, Nwabali broke down why West African leagues are lagging: “In West Africa, our leagues are not as good. We want to go to Europe, we want to come to South Africa, we want to go to Morocco. Only a handful of clubs in the region can afford to pay competitive wages, leaving many players with little choice but to seek greener pastures. Countries like South Africa and Morocco boast better stadiums, improved facilities, and more professional administrative structures, all of which contribute to the overall growth and appeal of their leagues. If your league is nice, you’re getting paid, you’re getting sponsors, what are you leaving for?”
Nwabali says the NPFL and Ghana Premier League suffer from “deep-seated structural issues” players flee to Europe, South Africa, Morocco.
The leagues in both Nigeria and Ghana also have subpar stadiums, training grounds, unprofessional admin, no sponsorship appeal.
He contrasted this with South Africa’s PSL where players like Ronwen Williams get everything he wants… the league, the pay is a little bit nicer depending on the level of your team.
Nwabali seems to be speaking from experience having won the NPFL with Enyimba in 2019, played for Wikki Tourists, Lobi Stars, Katsina United before moving to Chippa United in South Africa in 2022. He became Super Eagles No.1 at AFCON 2023. The goalkeeper said it’s now a rarity for players in the local Nigerian league to break into the Super Eagles team because the financial incentives aren’t there.
Nwabali is currently clubless after mutually parting ways with Chippa United in 2025, which sparked debate about whether his performances dipped after AFCON.
