AS the ill wind blowing across Nigeria's football circle continues to exert huge damage to the game, Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has called on government at all levels to hands off the administration of football and give room for full private participation.Imoke, who said government lacked the capacity to force the 'spring of success' in the game, added that football would only begin to develop positively when the private begun to run it as a profit-oriented venture.Speaking on the state's sports development programme, and the state of Calabar Rovers Football Club, which has now transformed to UNICEM Rovers Football Club, Imoke said the success of the game lay in government forging a partnership with the private sector in the management of the game.''We (government) cannot completely sustain the development of the game without the private sector involvement. We need to understand this and that is why I am trying to forge a partnership with the private sector in the state to help us out,'' said Imoke.He explained that following the sad state of Calabar Rovers when he assumed office, he decided to encourage UNICEM, a private firm, which is into cement production in the state, to take over the running of the club.Although Imoke acknowledged that the team was not doing well in the league, he was hopeful that its status would improve when UNICEM realised the business side of it and the value that the team could add to its organisation.''UNICEM is in business and they are not too sure of how much value that they are getting from it; but we hope that UNICEM would continue to support the club so that we can bring it to prominence,'' said Imoke, while kicking against government full participation in the game.
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