NPFL: Akwa United read riot act to players and coaches as Sporting Lagos coach calls for calm

The management of Nigeria Premier Football League club, Akwa United, has read the riot act to the players and its coaching crew.

The Promise Keepers have garnered a paltry two points from a possible 12 this season.

The former champions were held to a 0-0 draw by Shooting Stars at home on Sunday.

In a meeting with the team on Monday, the management admonished the technical crew and the players to “quickly remedy the situation at hand”.

“We are a club rich in tradition and endowed with a winning mentality. We don’t participate in the league for participation's sake. We compete to win laurels and qualify for the continent and our record in the past five seasons can attest to that,” stated the chairman of the club, Paul Bassey.

“We the management of Akwa United Football Club are worried about the present position of our club after playing four matches without a win. Our recent results are simply not acceptable. Our fans and supporters deserve the best from us for all their support and encouragement and we have to improve our performance to ensure we have positive results in our subsequent matches.”

With two points from four matches, Akwa United are at the wrong end of the table and will be aiming to get their first win of the season this weekend when they engage Bendel Insurance in Benin.

Akwa United head coach, Fatai Osho attributed the drought to his strikers, who have failed to convert the chances created.

” It’s a sad occurrence, we deserve maximum points in this encounter. The same problem, I mean the quality in that attack is becoming a headache,” Osho said in his post-match interview.

” We work so hard during the week to get an improvement in that final third, it’s unbelievable that we are leaving this match with just a solitary point, it’s very very sad.

” The quality in our attack, those are the players we have, it is becoming a headache. We are not really benefitting from the hard work

we put in from our defence to the midfield, when we get to the final third, we dash it away and we come back, it’s just unbelievable.”

Another losing side Sporting Lagos head coach, Paul Offor, has expressed confidence in his team despite their defeat to Remo Stars.

Sporting Lagos lost 2-1 to Remo Stars in the South West derby on Sunday.

Offor said his team will bounce back from the defeat.

He urged the club’s fans not to panic and believe in the process.

“We’ll continue everything we’re doing. I have confidence in our process,” he told Sporting Lagos media.

“The boys are ready and hungry to play, and we’re not playing badly. So we’ll keep doing what we’re doing. There is no panic in the camp.

“We’re disappointed we couldn’t secure any points from this game considering our performance and the fact that we took an early lead. But as a coach, I’m very proud of my players.

“I see the disappointment in their faces and how much they wanted the win and fought for it. It gives me pride and we’ll build on this to ensure we can convert our passion and energy to securing all three points.”

Sporting Lagos dropped to 11th position on the table following the defeat.