Sunshine Stars’ stand-in coach, Bobola Akinfolarin, has distanced himself from the ongoing feud between one of his players, Stephen Chukwude (pictured above), and the club’s management, which led to the player’s absence during Wednesday’s rescheduled matchday 13 clash against Enyimba in Aba, Completesports.com reports.
Chukwude, a former Enyimba forward, was reportedly sidelined by the Owena Waves’ hierarchy following his alleged refusal to come on as a substitute during Sunshine Stars’ ‘South-West Derby’ against Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) in the ongoing 2024/2025 NPFL season.
When asked if Chukwude’s absence against his former club was connected to this incident, Akinfolarin who led the Sunshine technical crew against Enyimba in Aba declined to comment, stating: “That question is not for me to answer. I’m not in a position to answer it. It’s between him and the management of Sunshine Stars.”
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Sunshine Stars managed to secure a point against the People’s Elephant in the rescheduled matchday 13 fixture, extending Enyimba’s winless run to five matches across all competitions.
Despite adding to Enyimba’s woes, Abimbola had high praise for the nine-time NPFL champions and two-time CAF Champions League winners.
“The fact that we picked a point against Enyimba here does not take anything away from the quality of the club,” Akinfolarin said.
“Enyimba is not a bad team, moreso when they are playing in the continent. Because we drew with them does not mean they are not a good side. They are not a bad team at all. But like I said, in football, it happens like that sometimes.They are a better side, Enyimba has a very good team.”
Akinfolarin revealed that Sunshine Stars came to Aba targeting all three points but rued his players’ inefficiency in the final third for the goalless draw.
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“When we played against Shooting Stars, we could have won by as many as four goals, but we failed to convert the chances pouring in for us, he stated.
“3SC had only one chance, and they took it. That’s football. When you fail to take your chances, you get punished. All the same, we’ll keep working on that area to ensure we get it right.”
Despite the away point, Sunshine Stars remain in the relegation zone, sitting 17th with 18 points. They will host Ikorodu City in another ‘South-West Derby’ in Sunday’s matchday 17 fixture.
Enyimba, with two games in hand, are 7th in the NPFL table with 22 points. They will host Nasarawa United in their matchday 17 fixture this weekend.
By Sab Osuji
