By: Chinedum Ohanusi
Until the start of the 2024/25 football season, the football league was basically amateur in nature. But all of that history has changed, with the Benennois football authorities, by leaning heavily on whatever resources they can copy from the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL), which on its own is grappling with multi-faceted drawbacks to establish a quasi-professional top flight league.
From Fatai Osho, formerly of Enyimba Int’l FC of Aba, Akwa United FC, Rivers United FC, Remo Stars FC and FC Abuja, to the much traveled and versatile Samson Unuanel who had worked mostly as Head Coach of up to ten top clubs in the NPFL, available records has it that there no fewer than five other coaches, taking the Benin Republic League by storm.
To have an undiluted perspective and insight on the fledging league, we spoke exclusively to Coach Unuanel, and the findings were both huge and compelling.
First, the Republic of Benin League is unsurprisingly named after the top flight in France, Ligué Une, which officially started this season, with 36 teams – playing in two conferences of eighteen teams each.
“Honestly, my coming here was more of an adventure, and to take up a different challenge, other than that which I was used to at home. But so far, the league has not disappointed”.
According to Unuanel, one key factor that defines the quality of any league, is its standard in terms of refereeing, and Unuanel said on a scale of 10, he would score the league a 9!
“So far, the officiating is 90% super, you can go anywhere and win without intimidation; and nobody cares. Not for once, have I seen or heard of any act of hooligans in any form. The facilities are also not bad for a country like Benin, in short there are no bad pitches anywhere, here”.
On the teams, we learnt that each team has got their own home grounds, except a few that share match venues.
The 36 teams, are halved into two groups, and at the end of the season, the top 2 in each group goes for a playoff, to determine the champions, and who goes on to represent the country in CAF’s Inter-Club Championships; the first to tenth placed teams remains in the Premier League, while the last 8 teams are to be relegated to the 2nd tier division.Despite dropping points at home, in a pulsating 1-1 draw with ASPAC FC on Sunday, Coach Unuanel’s team, Ayema FC sits on top of the Pool B log, albeit on superior goal difference; as they are tied on 25 points with AS Sobemap FC, after 13 games played so far.
