Federation Cup heartache for Dolphins, 3SC, Wikki

For the quartet, it is another bitter pill to swallow but for those who are conversant with the knock out competition, it is simply a repeat of tradition. The Federation Cup which used to be known as Challenge Cup is known for lifting the profiles of hitherto unknown clubs which normally come from the blues […]

For the quartet, it is another bitter pill to swallow but for those who are conversant with the knock out competition, it is simply a repeat of tradition. The Federation Cup which used to be known as Challenge Cup is known for lifting the profiles of hitherto unknown clubs which normally come from the blues to shock more established opponents.

It was in keeping with this tradition of surprises that Prime FC of Oshogbo, a former NPL club beat Wikki Tourists of Bauchi 2-0, less known Fame Academy of Lagos humbled 3SC 2-1, while lower division side Plateau United ousted Dolphins, reigning Champions of the NPL, 2-1.

Before they took on their opponents, Wikki, 3SC and Dolphins and Rising Stars were favoured to win but in the end, they fell by the way side and this is causing the four NPL clubs serious pains as each is yet to come to terms with such early elimination from the competition.

While Fame, Plateau United, El-Kanemi Warriors and Prime have since known their next round opponents and aiming for higher things, their victims are still sulking terribly. Shot! spoke with coaches and officials of Dolphins, 3SC, and Rising Stars on their present fate and they all sounded disappointed and equally aggrieved. None believed it deserved to be eliminated by their lesser opponents.

Former U-23 assistant coach and Technical Adviser of Dolphins, Coach Stanley Eguma was the first to speak to Shot! and he gave at least three reasons why his team was eliminated by less fancied Plateau United of Jos.

According to him, his players were not adequately motivated for the match, the pitch was not good enough and the referee that officiated the game denied his team a glaring penalty which would have gone a long way in bringing his side back into the game.

His words: “I cannot say we lost to a better side. My players did their best given the present circumstances but the pitch did not help matters. At the moment, the morale in my team is really low because the players have not been paid their entitlements.

“We did everything to win but we got knocked out because the referee made some questionable calls. We got a clear penalty which would have brought us back into the game but for inexplicable reasons, he refused to award us the penalty.

“There is no need crying over what has happened. We have lost but that is not the end of the world. We have the league going on and it is the only way through which we can return to the continent. We want to focus on the league”.

Speaking in a similar vein, Manager of 3SC and former international, Mr. Mutiu Adepoju lamented the early exit of his club and blamed the development on biased officiating. He said the referee did everything to ensure that his team was eliminated from the competition.

Adepoju said most of the decisions the referee took cannot be found in the laws of the game of football. He, therefore, hinted that 3SC may petition the referee and the result of the match in question.

“I am feeling terribly bad about that result. We do not deserve to be out of the competition. However, the referee who handled that match made sure that we lost. He behaved in a funny way.

“Imagine, my captain’s arm band fell off and the referee asked him to go out before he would put it back. It was as if the player’s boot had removed. He insisted that my captain must leave the field and when he did, he was kept waiting for over three minutes. It was when my captain was out that our opponents got their equalizer.

“As if that was not enough, he kept making questionable calls all aimed at making sure that we were defeated. In the end, he went home a happy man because we lost 1-2.

“I am calling on the authorities to investigate the referee. I want them to take a look at the video of the game to appreciate the wrong done against us. I have never seen such a decision before. A captain’s armband went off and he was forced to leave the field. That decision cannot be found in the laws of the game”.

Coach of Rising Stars, one of the Ondo State teams in the Nigeria Premier League, Mr. Sunday Erelesusi is also aggrieved following his team’s elimination by former champions, El-Kanemi Warriors. He said the powers that be did not want his team to qualify from the same centre along with their sister club, Sunshine Stars.

“We lost to politics and poor officiating. Some powerful people felt we should not qualify along with our sister club and they did everything to eliminate us. The officiating was very poor to say the least”.

When asked to substantiate his allegation, coach Erelesusi said he was no longer in the mood to discuss that particular match.

“I am not in the mood to discuss that match. I do not want to talk about it. Let us allow everything to be the way it is”.

For Wikki, repeated calls to the club’s Technical Adviser, Ladan Bosso for him to say what transpired between Wikki and Prime were not picked. A text message sent later did not yield any positive result so it was not possible to listen to his tale of woes.

This weekend will see the end of the round of 32 where 16 clubs would emerge for the group stage. For now, the men are being separated from the boys and the surprises of the Federation Cup will continue to unfold. Very soon, other NPL clubs may join the quartet of Dolphins, Wikki, 3SC and Wikki who have already eaten the humble pie.