Mustapha Ibrahim, Captain of Wikki Tourists FC of Bauchi, said on Friday that the club had accepted its relegation to the lower division of the Globacom Premier League as an “act of God.’’
“We will remain together and forge ahead in spite of our relegation. We have accepted our predicament. It is not our wish to be relegated; it is the will of God. We have resolved to remain in the team and fight to return to the premier division. This type of tragedy has happened before and we took the club back to the elite division. We shall do it again,’’ Ibrahim told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi.
On whether the relegation will affect salaries, Ibrahim said:“The management has promised not to tamper with our salary and our match bonuses. This is very encouraging and we commend the state government for the gesture.”
The Chairman of the club, Suleiman Abdulahi, blamed the misfortune of the club partly on inconsistencies on the part of the technical crew. He observed that the crew made unnecessary changes in the line-up during matches which caused lack of cohesion in the team.
“These inconsistencies led to a lack of coordination and cohesion in the team,’’ Abdulahi noted.
Abdullahi also deplored what he called the club’s fans’ failure to conduct themselves well during home matches, citing the club’s encounter with El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri.
“In the 73rd minute when the home team was trailing 0-1, the supporters invaded the pitch, manhandled the referee and beat him to a coma. If the fans had given us the chance, within the remaining 17 minutes and possibly with additional time of at least five minutes, we could have recovered well enough to either equalise or win the match.
“But the time was wasted on the attack on the referee and so we lost an important home match that could have saved us from being relegated. It is like beating a judge in a court of law and still expects to get justice. It may never happen,” he said.
Abdullahi, however, expressed the optimism that the club would bounce back to the premier division, saying “it has learnt from past mistakes.’’
Aliyu Dan, the Chairman, Wikki Supporters Club, acknowledged the negative contributions of the supporters to the club’s misfortune. He, however, pledged that the leadership would ensure a change of attitude in the upcoming season and the return of the club to the premier division.
Usman Abass, the Media Officer of the club, also blamed the poor performance of the team on the absence of a “sound technical crew and indiscipline on the part of some players.’’
“Can you imagine that five key players refused to turn up for our final crucial match of the season against Dolphins of Port Harcourt for no reason? Those players were not punished and they still earned their salaries for the month,” he said.
Also reacting, Inusa Adamu, Chairman of Bauchi State Football Association, described the relegation as “embarrassing”, considering the huge resources expended on the team. He called on the management to concentrate on re-building the team to justify the huge resources being spent on the club.
NAN also reports that Wikki placed 18th on the 2012/2013 league table with 49 points, while Kano Pillars FC won the league.
