Manyo Doubts NPFL Clubs Can Afford N2m Player Salaries

Rivers United captain Stephen Manyo has poured cold water on the National Sports Commission’s plan to force NPFL clubs to pay players a minimum of N2 million a month, questioning whether most sides can actually raise that kind of money. The former Enyimba defender says the numbers simply don’t add up yet.

NSC chairman Shehu Dikko unveiled the wage floor in June alongside a sweeping prize money overhaul for the league. Under the new structure, the 2026/27 NPFL champions will collect a record N1 billion, up from the N200 million Enugu Rangers picked up for winning a ninth league title last season.

Runners-up are set for N500 million and the third-placed club N300 million, with graded payouts extending further down the table. Dikko framed the entire package, prize money and player wages together, as part of a bigger push to professionalise the league and stop top talent leaving for clubs abroad.

Manyo isn’t convinced the salary side of that plan is workable right now. “Talking about the N2m a month salary for players, I can’t really say for now because if you come to Rivers United, for instance, the money generated from gate fees is nothing to write home about,” he said. “If you check our stadiums, most of the time, they are empty. So, it will be difficult for the clubs to generate money and pay players N2m every month.”

His argument centres on where clubs actually get their income from. Fans keeping tabs on NPFL matchday numbers while this debate plays out can check the latest Bet9ja promotion code before the new season kicks off.

Beyond gate receipts, Manyo pointed to a wider structural problem. Most NPFL clubs still lack broadcast deals and commercial sponsors, and a large chunk of the league is funded directly by state governments rather than private investment.

“I’m not optimistic that will happen because we don’t have the TV rights, most clubs don’t have sponsors. They are owned by the government, and it is what the government gives that you’ll work with,” Manyo said. He added that clubs have to operate within whatever financial limits they’re given, regardless of any new wage rule handed down from above.

The NSC’s response to that kind of skepticism has been stricter club licensing, with new rules covering finance, infrastructure and legal compliance meant to push owners toward the kind of professional running that could support higher wages. Anyone following how the league’s finances are shaping up can also check the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code ahead of the new campaign.

The scale of the jump makes Manyo’s caution easier to understand. The previous NPFL minimum wage sat at just N150,000 a month, meaning the new floor represents more than a thirteenfold increase for clubs that, by his own account, are already struggling to fill stadiums.

Reaction around the league has been mixed since the plan was first announced, with some players and former players welcoming the move as overdue while others share Manyo’s doubts about how clubs are supposed to fund it without outside help. The league board maintains that licensing reform will eventually force clubs to find the money.

For Manyo, the path forward is straightforward even if the timeline isn’t. “So, that N2m salary a month is not realistic for now, until the sponsors begin to come into the league and clubs. It is just a mere statement for now. I don’t think it will be effective yet,” he said. Punters tracking how the new NPFL season shapes up can try the free Super9ja jackpot once fixtures get underway.