The chairman of the Ondo State Football Agency, Chief Segun Adagunodo, aka Santana, has alleged gang-up by the Nigeria Premier League to rubbish Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure and in the process undermine the efforts of the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Segun Mimiko, at football development.
Adagunodo, while reacting to statement credited to the acting Secretary of the NPL, Tunji Babalola, that the league body was unaware of Sunshine Stars’ trip to Luanda, Angola on Thursday, lamented that NPL is punishing Sunshine because of the insistence of Mimiko’s Special Adviser on Sports, Akin Akinbobola, that his appeal against the election of Chief Victor Baribote as the NPL chairman be heard.
According to Adagunodo, it smacks of irresponsibility for the NPL scribe to insist they play Wednesday’s league match against ABS in Ilorin when the team is slated to travel on Thursday.
He said: “I don’t know why Sunshine Stars should be singled out for discrimination every time.
“When Ilorin fans aborted our match with Kwara United, the NPL still went ahead to punish our official without recourse to the rule.
“The whole world knows that we are playing in the CAF Champions League this weekend and it’s expected we travel on time for the match.
“Moreover, the NPL does not expect us to play a league game on Wednesday when we have a game outside the country at the weekend.
“Anyway, the gang-up started really with the baseless match-fixing scandal and since the NPL failed to achieve their purpose, they have started using subtle manner to punish Sunshine Stars unjustly for any negative development.
“Because Akinbobola is fighting for his right, the NPL is transferring anger at the team because we come from Ondo State like Akinbobola.”
Adagunodo wondered the gain of the peace deal brokered by the Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, and the Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, if those that should make the fragile peace work are instead fanning more embers of trouble.
He added: “Just last week, Senator Anyim was able to settle the squabbles in the football house, a deal which saved the NPL from being lawfully declared an illegal body.
“But these same people in the NPL are still at war with some people and unfortunately they are using Sunshine Stars as a chess board to fight personal battles.”