When my story titled: “Beef-up your team before fasting, Sabon Sara counsels Mai Samba” debuted a few days ago, I got several contributions and comments from those that cared to read it.
Remember that, the story was advice given to the present management of Kano Pillars FC. As they were told to do the needful before the coming Ramadan period, so as to avert the ugly incident that reoccurred itself twice or more last football season.
It was the observation of Dr Nura Garba Sabon Sara who during a Radio Nasara Sports Programme, Taskar Wassani, anchored by Muhammad Wasilu Kawo opined that as the Ramadan Fasting is drawing closer, the Ali Nayara Mai Samba led management board of the Kano Pillars Football team should beef-up its team.
According to him, the measure is to enable the team to run away from repeating the ugly last season’s incidents where most of their players were fasting which made other teams take advantage of that and deal with them ruthlessly which made the team suffer heavily.
Dr. Sabon Sara was of the opinion that Kano Pillars management needs to bring more players particularly from other faiths before or during the second round so as to avert last season’s terrible experience.
He urged Mai Samba, his team and the coach to start doing something now before the end of the first round so that they can pencil down those they can bring in to help the team sustain the tempo.
But as soon as the story was released, I got many likes and comments but the one I found most interesting and worthy of sharing was that of Ibrahim Gwadabe, the chairman of Kano State Coaches Council.
His first comment was: “This is good advice but hitherto the team has been playing during Ramadan with players of mixed faith. To me, it wasn’t only Ramadan fasting that affected the team last year as there were other factors that contributed like player’s welfare, non camping of the players prior to matches, administration crisis e.t.c. “
Then another: “Yes it’s true, but it’s supposed to be at least 60-40, or 70-30 is ok, provided other indexes have been taken care of like I mentioned above, because even if we have more Christians in the team, we will still suffer. I have experience of playing in the whole fasting with Muslim team but still we performed due to the existence of these factors I mentioned above. So the issue is not to only rely on the faith or fasting of the players but let’s do the right things for the players to perform at the optimal level.”
And then another comment: “Also there are other problems from last season which the team failed to tackle and carry it over to this season like lack of substitute of reliable Center forward which we supposed to have at least 3 but we only have one, so also the Centre back defenders which supposed to have 3 set but only one we have.
“So it seems we are not learning from our past mistakes but rather every year we form a new team and what only remains is the name “Kano Pillars”.
“To my view, all these happened as a result of the non-existence of the Technical Department in the team which is saddled with all Technical issues as to, among others, the evaluation of the team holistically in a season and advising the management against next season. This is the trend in modern club management even in Nigeria, teams like Eyimba, Rivers, Remo have the technical department headed by experienced coaches apart from technical Crew and they work hand in hand for the team. The department also scout and spy for the team against any team to be played with and advise the Chief Coach accordingly.”
Left to me coach Gwadabe has said it all, it is left for the team to listen and do the needful.
Allah ya kara daukaka, chairman coaches council, ameen