{
  "id": 8382878,
  "title": "The painful truth about NPFL clubs in CAF competitions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/the-painful-truth-about-npfl-clubs-in-caf-competitions",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-19T04:06:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Trust",
    "slug": "daily-trust",
    "url": "https://dailytrust.com/the-painful-truth-about-npfl-clubs-in-caf-competitions/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For decades, Nigerian football supporters have cherished the memories of Enyimba's double continental victories. Those days serve as a shield, proving that their domestic league pales in comparison to others on the continent. However, nostalgia alone cannot secure victories in Cairo, Casablanca, or Tunis. The modern African football season has delivered a harsh reality to the self-proclaimed football capital of the continent. Witnessing the reigning champions battle to maintain their lead during qualification rounds, while their continental peers glide into group stages, compels us to acknowledge the growing gap between the NPFL and the rest of Africa. This fact became evident when four Nigerian clubs failed to advance in this year's CAF club competitions, with only two—Enugu Rangers and El-Kanemi Warriors—emerging victorious. Despite their success, the performances of these teams do not instill much hope as they face increasingly tough opponents. Rangers narrowly escaped elimination after drawing 1-1 against AS Sobe-map and suffering a 1-1 draw before winning 5-4 in a penalty shootout. They face North African giants, MC Alger, in the next round. Similarly, El-Kanemi Warriors capitalized on a 3-0 home win against UDIB but lost 0-1 away to advance 3-1 on aggregate, facing Raja Casablanca of Morocco next. Rivers United and 3SC suffered significant setbacks. After drawing 1-1 against San-Pedro of Cote d'Ivoire, they failed to overcome a two-goal deficit at home, eventually losing 1-2. 3SC's fate seemed sealed after a 0-2 defeat to CS Sfaxien, highlighting the recurring weaknesses of NPFL clubs. These disappointing performances are not unexpected, as many government-owned clubs fail to meet professional standards on and off the pitch. Those familiar with modern football trends agree that clubs with amateur attitudes struggle to meet basic licensing requirements. To compete favorably with opponents from Tunis, Casablanca, Cairo, Algiers, and Johannesburg, NPFL clubs must prioritize player salaries, improve recruitment practices, address political interference, invest in standard facilities, and stabilize leadership and technical staff.",
  "summary": "For decades, Nigerian football fans have sustained themselves on the glorious memories of Enyimba’s historic back-to-back continental triumphs. We hold onto those years like a shield, using them to argue that our domestic league is not inferior to others on the continent. Unfortunately, nostalgia cannot win matches in Cairo, Casablanca or Tunis. The current era […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}