Stanley Nwabali shades NPFL, reveals why Nigerian players prefer the South African League

Super Eagles and Chippa United goalkeeper, Stanley Bobo Nwabali, has revealed why the majority of the home-grown Nigerian players love to move to other African leagues rather than stay at home, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 27-year-old goalkeeper moved to South Africa from Katsina United two years ago and could be on the move to a bigger side after a stunning display at the AFCON 2023 tournament where he kept four clean sheets in seven games to seal second spot for the Super Eagles.

Nwabali has played every tier of local football in Nigeria, from non-league to the Nigeria Professional Football League, and in a recent interview, revealed why South African players rarely move to Europe.

“Ronwen Williams is at Sundowns, he gets everything he wants, he’s got the name, the sponsor, his family is here, everyone is supporting him, he’s the captain of Bafana Bafana, and the league is okay. The league, the pay is a little bit nicer depending on the level of your team,” the former Enyimba goalkeeper told Far Post.

In comparison to the NPFL, Nwabali revealed the pay gap between both leagues is astonishing, highlighting the money as the major reason players leave Nigeria without thinking twice.

“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, all those kinds of leagues, if your league is nice there’s no point of you leaving. If your league is nice, you’re getting paid, you’re getting sponsors, what are you leaving for? If you want to challenge yourself, you can still leave. It depends on you if you can cope there, if you can’t cope there, it’s fine to just come back and play your football,” he added.

Nwabali has been linked with several European clubs after an impressive outing at the AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast, but his comments might portray a subtle hint that he's doing just fine plying his trade with Chippa United in South Africa.

N.B: We want to know your thoughts. Do you think Nwabali's comments are justified? Let us know in the comments.