Football is often described as a game of passion,a sport that sparks joy, ignites rivalries, and unites people across cultures and backgrounds. But on Match Day 2 of the 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season, something even more powerful than rivalry was on display at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, a shared commitment to peace, respect, and the growth of Nigerian football.
In a match that saw Kano Pillars and Wikki Tourists FC go head-to-head, it wasn’t just the action on the pitch that captured attention, it was the behavior of the fans. Supporters from both sides showed what football in Nigeria should look like, vibrant, passionate, and most importantly, peaceful.
The NPFL is on a journey toward global relevance, increased investment, and improved infrastructure,but that journey isn’t just about referees, players, or club administrators,It’s about the fans.
The behavior of supporters in and around stadiums sends a message to the world about what Nigerian football represents.
The conduct of Kano Pillars and Wikki Tourists fans on match day sent the right message: that Nigerian football is maturing. That fans can cheer, chant, and contest without chaos. That even in the heat of competition, mutual respect is possible. That love for your club doesn’t have to mean hatred for another.
Football clubs in Nigeria are deeply rooted in their communities. They are sources of identity, pride, and belonging. But when fans engage in hooliganism, throwing objects, attacking referees, destroying property they don’t just damage their club’s reputation; they damage their community’s name.
That’s why the scenes in Kano matter so much. By showing restraint, maturity, and hospitality, fans represented not only their clubs but their cities with honor.
They showed that community pride doesn’t have to turn into aggression. That rivalry can be intense and still respectful.
For the NPFL to reach its full potential, stadiums must become safe spaces for everyone, men, women, children, the elderly.
This won’t happen with security personnel alone, it requires a cultural shift, one where fans take ownership of their behavior,one where self-policing becomes the norm, one where those who come to disrupt the peace are not celebrated, but called out.
The positive example set by Kano Pillars and Wikki Tourists supporters who thronged the Stadium in their large numbers is proof that this shift is not only possible, it’s already happening, and the more we amplify such moments, the more they’ll be repeated.
Now is the time for clubs, the NPFL board, and football stakeholders to double down on this momentum. Reward good fan behavior, create fan engagement programs, use local influencers to speak out against hooliganism.
Because when the fans get it right, everything else begins to fall into place.
Nigerian football is rising. Let’s be the kind of fans the game deserves.
Nasiru Abdullahi Kobi
M.O Wikki Tourists FC.
01/9/25.
