Emmanuel Amuneke, Technical Manager of Heartland FC, attributed the Naze Millionaires’ last-gasp 3-2 defeat at Plateau United in Sunday’s NPFL Matchday 16 fixture to a “momentary loss of concentration”, Completesports.com reports.
The five-time NPFL champions were poised for their second away win of the season, thanks to Tony Iyanda’s brace. However, Anthony Sunday’s double and Maseng Pam’s decisive strike in the 90th minute turned the tide for Plateau United, sparking wild celebrations at the New Jos Stadium, Zaria Road.
“It was a very interesting game. Both teams played to their best potential. Like I said, you must recognise Plateau United—they used what they have, in terms of long throws, to achieve their objective,” Amuneke, the former FC Barcelona winger and 1994 African Footballer of the Year, said post-match.
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“We scored beautiful goals but, unfortunately, lost a little bit of concentration in the heat of the game. But that’s football. We’ll continue to grow.”
Amuneke likened the league to a marathon, emphasising the need for consistent improvement.
“This league is like a marathon. What we owe ourselves is to continue growing and identifying areas where we can develop our players,” he said.
The coach who led Tanzania to their first AFCON finals in 39 years in 2019, commended Plateau United’s resilience despite trailing during the thrilling five-goal encounter.
Amuneke added: “First of all, I think we’ve to congratulate Plateau United, though we also played a very good game. But I keep emphasising that if we want our football to grow, we must create a standard.
“The referees? I don’t like talking about them. But you can’t come into a game where a referee continues to act inconsistently — it’s not acceptable. We all are stakeholders—media, coaches, players—and our role is to ensure there’s a standard for the game to grow. With officiating like this, we need to reflect.”
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Amuneke’s frustration grew when asked about allegations of time-wasting by his goalkeeper, Ebuka Nwokeocha. He defended his player, citing an injury as the reason for the perceived delays.
“You call that delay tactics? Was that really delay tactics? The goalkeeper was injured. If you’re realistic, you wouldn’t call it that. Don’t take sides,” he countered.
“I’m a coach. Plateau United players are part of Nigerian players. Whether we like it or not, it’s not just about the team we support or who wins; we would all be happy to see Plateau United players play in the National team and big leagues in the World.
“But the question is; what’s the standard that you’re creating to make these players to grow? That’s the question we should be asking ourselves. We could be doing all the ‘quick fix’ but I can guarantee you also that prayer and quick fix do not bring result”.
By Sab Osuji
