Nigerian club football has long been a hotbed of talent, yet when it comes to the continental stage, the nation’s clubs are struggling to keep pace with Africa’s elite.
The current season offers an obvious reminder that Nigerian sides are far from competitive in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
Rivers United’s Struggles Highlight the Gap
Assistant coach of Rivers United, Yemi Daniel, recently admitted that,
“No Nigerian club has what it takes to compete with the best in Africa presently.”
His is coming from a heavy heart following Rivers United’s disappointing CAF Champions League group stage campaign, where the Port Harcourt side managed just one point from five matches.
The club’s results have been sobering. Three home defeats, including a 4–1 thrashing by Egyptian side Pyramids FC in Uyo, underscored the team’s struggles.
Over the course of the campaign, Rivers United suffered a 7–1 aggregate defeat to Pyramids, drew goalless with Power Dynamos in Zambia before a 1–0 home loss, and fell 2–1 to Morocco’s RS Berkane.
Daniel defended his team, noting,
“There is no champion who doesn’t pass through difficult seasons with courage. It has been a challenging time for us in the CAF Champions League group stage. People criticising and abusing us don’t understand that there is no fiction in football.”
Structural Weaknesses in Nigerian Club Football
Beyond the Pride of Rivers, other Nigerian clubs also struggled this season on the continental stage.
Remo Stars were brutally dealt with and eliminated by Mamelodi Sundowns, losing 7–1 on aggregate, while Kwara United bowed out of the CAF Confederation Cup to Ghana’s Asante Kotoko 5–3 on aggregate.
Abia Warriors at the other end also exited the CAF competition after a narrow 2–1 aggregate defeat to Malian side Djoliba.
Daniel believes these results reflect deeper structural issues:
“The experience gained this year will help everyone in the future. We need to do more and invest more in our clubs like most of these teams do.”
Investment in infrastructure, youth development, and club management has lagged behind African heavyweights.
Countries like Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa consistently field clubs with professional structures, better financing, and broader continental experience, giving them a clear edge.
Lessons from the Past and the Road Ahead
Nigeria’s most successful club on the continent remains Enyimba, who captured back-to-back CAF Champions League titles in 2003 and 2004.
Yet, more than a decade later, no Nigerian club has replicated that success. The current crop of teams, despite raw talent, continues to fall short against Africa’s elite.
The reality is that Nigerian clubs are in a transitional phase. As Daniel rightly notes, resilience and investment are key: the lessons from these challenging campaigns must inform the next generation of teams.
Until that happens, the gulf between Nigerian sides and the continent’s top clubs will continue to persist.