The Chairman of Oyo State Football Association, Chief James Odeniran has admonished the football loving people of the state for stop blaming the Government for the woes that have befallen the state’s darling team, Shooting Stars Sports Club.
He submitted that the huge part of the fault should be put at the doorstep of the management of the team.
Chief Odeniran, who was recently installed as the Baale of Akinyele town in Akinyele local Government council in the state said, whatever people see as the crisis facing the Oluyole Warriors is caused by the management who did not do the needful in time for the team.
3SC are currently occupying 16th position on the Nigeria Professional Football League with 50 points with only a game to go and the chance of the team escaping the drop is very slim.
“Governor Abiola Ajimobi has greatly assisted football and other sports in the state to the best of my knowledge. In the last five seasons out of six, 3SC did not have the usual difficulties of paying players and staff’s sign-on fees, salaries, fund to prosecute matches and bonuses because the government was making adequate provision as at when due by then.
“What I believe our darling team, Shooting Stars have is a managerial problem, instead of them to look inwards and save for the raining days, they didn’t, thinking everyday would be Christmas,” Chief Odeniran said.
Explaining further, the retired FIFA Referee said it was wrong to castigate Governor Ajimobi for not giving enough fund to the club because he has done more than enough for the Ibadan based team when the economy was good and the state was buoyant but the management of the team was reckless and never saved for a raining day.
“I’m not sure most people envisaged or thought of what is now happening to the economy of the country, the downturn just came upon us suddenly and it affected all facets of our lives including the game we all love so much which is football.
“Unfortunately people are now trying to castigate the governor, where do you expect him to get such fund now, after he had done more than enough for the team when the state was buoyant but the management never made good use, and now the governor is trying his best with the paucity of fund to make sure that no sector suffers including football.
“What is happening is not affecting 3SC alone, we have many big teams in the league from other states facing this same problem, and they are trying to manage their crisis there. We are the architects of our own problem here because we cannot manage our resources here, and we are putting every blame on Ajimobi’s doorstep for not releasing money,” he added.
Speaking on 3SC chance of surviving the relegation in the NPFL, Chief Odeniran said the survival of the team is by God intervention, politics of the game and fund.
“I know they can survive though God intervention, because the situation is 50-50 now, it has come to how we play the politics of the game now and who knows how to play the game, the most unfortunate things now is that I don’t think we have what it takes to play the last minute politics which is fund. We don’t have money; the scenario is about 30% on the field of play and other job is 70%, we are just praying, it is only God that can see us through.
“Our last away game is very dicey because we are playing against a northern team, and we should not forget we are fighting the relegation battle against two northern teams, a northern gang-up might be there, if God says we will remain in top league we will and if it is otherwise, then we will go back to drawing board and re-strategize but I’m seriously praying to God that we survive,” he offered.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
