The chairman of Sunshine Stars, Prince Tunde Ogunja, has commended the players and the technical crew of the team for their commitment and doggedness which helped the team escape relegation, Completesports.com reports.
The one-time Green Eagles midfielder said Sunshine Stars were no longer struggling courtesy of the hard work of players and the coaching crew.
“We are 7th in the league now. You see, relegation is out of it. We are no more strugglers or battling against relegation. We are out of it completely,” told Completesports.com.
Prince Tunde Ogunja
“I give it to the players and the technical team, they did well. They fought hard and it paid off. Whatever it takes we are moving hopefully to the end of the season. The next two matches, the home and away to Dakkada, I hope we win.”
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Speaking further about Sunshine Stars’ escape from relegation, Prince Ogunja attributed it to hardwork, good administration and motivation, emphasizing that it is not always about having good players.
“You may have a team with good players and they may not perform. There were matches they got set to play and l said, ‘win this match and I will give you 100,000 naira. I did it for them in Port Harcourt against Rivers United. We drew, l gave them 50,000. In Nasarawa, they drew l gave them 50,000”.
“You have to motivate these players. There is a lot of motivation in the team. We don’t owe salaries. We pay bonuses immediately after the match.
“That’s what has been making teams like Enyimba to thrive. Anyansi is a good administrator. I admire him, l envy him too. So, motivation matters in football; financial motivation, and moral motivation. Relegation is a thing of the past for Sunshine Stars”.
Speaking on the negative reports surrounding the 2022 season especially in the areas of officiating and security, Ogunja believes that the League has improved with few grew areas.
“The framework and articles of operation of LMC is that security before, during and after a match be provided by the host FA. So any State’s FA hosting any match has to take care of security,” Ogunja remarked.
“I won’t lie to you, some of our referees are bad. But we thank God, they are surviving. The league has improved, but there are still ‘buts’ here and there.
“The length of any match depends on the referee. They have their special time. If the referee tells you that he will play 15 to 20 minutes after 90 minutes, you can’t query him. They know how they do their thing. I am not interested, l am not involved.”
By Chigozie Chukwuleta, Awka.
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