The Shooting Stars Soccer Club (3SC) of Ibadan have been mandated to target qualification for continental football next season in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
The club hope to achieve this by correcting last season’s mistakes which resulted in their battle to survive being relegated to the second-tier division.
A statement by the club’s executive chairman, Rt. Honourable Babatunde Olaniyan, on Friday at the club’s secretariat, Jericho, emphasised that the 3SC will exploit all available means to stem a repeat of last season’s disgraceful outing.
Olaniyan in an emergency meeting to appraise the club’s performance in the recently concluded NPFL 2021-2022 season, commended the team on behalf of the Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde, for the show of resilience and determination to fight to pull the club away from the drop zone.
According to the report by the club’s media officer, Tosin Omojola, the chairman posited that financial and intellectual challenges almost overwhelmed the club last season.
“On behalf of the Executive Governor, His Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde, I want to appreciate the Almighty God, whose divine intervention came at a time it was needed to rescue the team from going into relegation and also appreciate your efforts and commend your sportsmanship,” Olaniyan said.
“The survival of the team was as a result of joint efforts of the players on the field and that of the management outside the field,” he conceded.
Last season, 3SC having struggled almost all through their campaignreignited a push for NPFL survival with a 2-1 win against Plateau United and sustained the feat to record a successive five-match unbeaten run.
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The chairman, while deliberating on the errors and lapses recorded last season, acknowledged the feat attained by Remo Stars to qualify for the continental tourney despite gaining promotion to the top-tier last season.
Olaniyan said, “The Management has noted all the errors and mistakes committed either advertently or inadvertently in the course of the season and it is my desire to ensure that such mistakes are never repeated. If Remo Stars, who got promoted with us could clinch a continental ticket the same season they got promoted, it simply means Shooting Stars Sports Club could also do it.
“The mandate given to us by His Excellency, the Executive Governor, is for the team to pick a continental ticket during his time as the Governor of Oyo State and I, as the Chairman of the club, I’m one hundred percent committed to achieving this target,” the chairman stated.
However, he expressed that he has studied the operations of the club as well as its structure and concluded that there is a need to improve on certain departments.
He continued: “I studied the operations and running of the club over the years as well as its structure, he has come to realise that there are rooms for improvement.
“The time to begin the repositioning of the club is now if truly we are desirous of achieving the mandate of the Executive Governor and make our people happy.
Olaniyan said, “We have all worked tirelessly during the season, and we deserve a rest and get refreshed before the resumption of preparation for next season. What would have delayed our holiday, if the team had qualified for the Federation Cup.”
The technical crew, players and backroom staff proceeded on recess at the close of the meeting on Friday, July 22, while the club will, in the course of the break, carry out some stocktaking and reviewing, ahead of resumption for preparations for the 2022/23 season.
The meeting had in attendance, members of the management team, including the Acting General Manager cum Team Manager, Dimeji Lawal, the Director of Administration and Supply, Alhaji Rahman Olapade and the Director,
Finance and Account Mr Kehinde Ogundiran, as well as the Club’s Chief coach, Edith Agoye, his assistants, administrative and backroom staff and the players led by their captain, Omololu Waheed.
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