A former President of Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens Football Clubs, Akin Akinbobola, has attributed the recent relegation of the two state’s football club to poor funding and mismanagement by the state government.
Akinbobola who stated this during a press conference in Akure, the Ondo state capital, while reviewing the activities that led to the relegation of the Sunshine stars and the decline of sporting activities in the state.
He said the club ended its 22 unbroken season at the elites league because the club is not being managed by professional, charging the state government to change its attitude of not giving priority to the welfare of athletes.
He noted that the Sunshine Stars FC has not been been badly managed since the club gain promotion to the premier League since 2003.
According to the former president, “to the best of my knowledge, that place is not well-managed. Mediocrity has crept into the very breadth of that place.
“How can you put a carpenter to go and become head of hospital management board? How can you put a medical doctor to go and be chairman Judiciary Commission? It cannot work.
”You have to put a round peg in a round hole and supervise well for it to work. Football can generate plenty of money and create employment for our youths, if taken seriously.
“Let me also reiterate: the governor should not be using football or sports appointments as pay back for the boys and sycophants.
“Sycophancy has paved the way for the promotion of mediocrity in the administration of sports.
“When loyalty is valued above competence, critical voices are silenced, and capable hands are sidelined, resulting in poor leadership, mismanagement, and a steady decline in performance,”
Akinbobola however, urged the state government to urgently, establish a committee of credible and experienced football administrators that would ensure Sunshine Stars FC return to the topflight next season.
“Those saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that Sunshine Stars escaped relegation should be probed on how the funds made available to them were mismanaged.
“With the right leadership, the club will bounce back to the elite league, but the governor should not entrust the peoples heritage in the hands of foreigners.
“The governor should also, as a matter of urgency, establish a sports commission, as it is the only way to revive the ailing sector,” he said.
Also speaking, the former Chairman of Sunshine Stars FC Supporters Club, Emmanuel Oduyi, called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to urgently complete the stadium project.
Oduyi said “We have gone on relegation before in 2003 and we came back to the premier league, this time around, we don’t want politicians in the administration of our football.
“We want seasoned administrators from our state, not outsiders,” he said.
Similarly, Daniel Udoh, a former player of Sunshine Stars FC, said all hands must be on deck to ensure the return of Sunshine Stars back to the top league, for advocated a sound administrator to champion the cause.
