Blessing Ibunge  in Port Harcourt

Proprietor of Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) champions, Remo  Stars, Billionaire Kunle Soname, has revealed that he sells players overseas for the team to stay afloat.

Speaking in an interview with Segun Odegbami’s Eagle7 FM radio yesterday, Soname stressed that money from foreign transfers of players have financed the NPFL champions. “The major income is from trading in players,” began Soname. “For the past three, four seasons, I have not put a dime of my money to run the club. We have to sell to remain afloat.”

The Remo Stars owner insisted that there is not enough money in the NPFL, where the average wage is from N600,000, N700,000. He however counseled that the league needs to be better organised for clubs make money.

“The money is at Beyond Limits (his academy), where this year alone we have made over $600,000, but the league (NPFL) is the hold standard of football in any country.

“A well-run academy, that’s where the money is right now, the raw talents are placed on a global platform

“Pay a player N1.5 million a month, he will be patient to wait in the country to play and sustain his family.

He said it is not enough for the NPFL to be put on television as it also has to be marketed properly.

“We’re moving forward, but the pace has not been as it should be,” he declared.

 “When people put their own money in the league, they will fight tooth and nail for a better league than when they are spending other people’s money,” a subtle reference to why most of the teams are not doing well because majority of they run on state governments fundings.