By Ken Osagiede
BENIN CITY – Former Nigeria International Tony Emoedofu has blame Bendel Insurance technical crew for their inability to keep the Edo Arsenal in the Nigeria top flight league.
The Edo state sports council youth football coach said the coaches ought to know that playing in the premiership is quite different from playing in the Nigeria National League (NLL), that as core professionals in the job, they ought to have shop for good players.
He added that most players paraded by Monday Odigie and his team are not materials for professional league.
“It is a big pity that Bendel Insurance has once again gone back to where they came from. All the efforts by the government, fans, ex- players and most especially the deputy governor Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu have been wasted. In fact we have a long way to go.
The head coach Monday Odigie and his team ought to know that they needed competent players to be able to play in the Nigeria professional league.
Look when they took the team to promotion after 11 years at the lower league, we were all very happy that at last insurance has come back to top flight football which has been the expectation of Edo people.
But it is very sad to say that insurance is back to the lower league again. It is just too bad; it shows that we do not know what we are doing. In a country where players are everywhere begging to be sign, then we are here parading rookies on the pitch in a highly competitive league.”
“Now that we have been relegated back to NNL, we must begin to plan now, by this I mean the government must carry out total overhauling of the entire team starting from the technical crew.
Our deputy governor must take note of this; Insurance needs complete overhauling in all department of the game. For us to move forward, government must be ready to step on toes.
There are people that are not relevant to the team; they should be shown the exit rout.
n fact my recent official assignment to port, I could not discuss football issues with my friends because of Insurance present plight.
In present day football managers must be technically and tactically sound, as a coach you should be able to ready matches and also know players that are capable of given you results when it matters most.
Bendel Insurance exit from the elite league is very painful to all Edo people. We are not happy about it. This is why we must start preparations now for next season to avoid another disaster.”
Meanwhile the clubs supporter’s chairman Chief Osadolor Ogiefa, has blame the entire squad for the mess. “We are not happy at all, we never expected this to happen, and returning to NNL is difficult for us to accept. We do not know where to start again.”
