3SC: beat Sunshine Stars

Coach Augustine Eguavoen of Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure on Sunday blamed his team 0-1 loss to the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan on officiating.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sunshine Stars FC lost 0-1 to home team 3SC in an NPFL Match Day 22 fixture played in Ibadan on Sunday.

NAN reports that 3SC got its lone goal through Ibrahim Ajani in the game’s fourth minute, but what would have been the visiting team’s equaliser in the 41st minute was disallowed.

The visiting team had got a goal through Ebitimi Agogo which the centre referee scored from an offside position.

Eguaveon, an ex-international, told newsmen that the referee committed several obvious mistakes which were bad for the league.

He stated that such mistakes were not fair, adding that this exercise continue to discourage people from involving themselves in the local league.

“We are all human beings and none is above mistakes, but the referee really made obvious mistakes which were not fair.

“ This discourages me and some of our colleagues from the local league. I have been out of the scene for a while in the local league and this is one of the reasons.

“If you look at the entire league, you will see that only I and Ike Shoronmu remained out of our set.

“People are frustrated with a whole lot of such issues and don’t want to get involved. I think they should try and help our job, particularly, we that are involved.
“If not, I can walk away again and look for other means of fending for my family. I cannot work for a whole week and see someone just come one day to destroy it,’’ he said.

Eguavoen, however refused to comment on the disallowed goal, saying the decision of the referee was only best known to him.

He said his team would go back home to prepare very hard for their next match, adding that their target was to escape relegation at the end of the season.

Coach Fatai Amoo of 3SC told newsmen that the team needed nothing but to turn its beautiful play to winning matches.

“Successful football does not have to be by playing beautiful football but by carrying it to a winning level. Our game is not bad and all we have to do is to keep winning to get there.
“People tend not to understand that bringing a team and coach together newly requires lot of efforts and time. Our position on the log is bad and I can’t defend that.

“ All we have to do is to keep working hard and improving on such to get there.

“Our next game is against Kano Pillars and we have to work harder. Kano Pillars are not the same as Sunshine Stars,’’ he agreed.

Speaking on the salaries of the players, he stated that he was not a competent authority to speak on such but added the players have been paid salaries in May.

NAN reports that students of Ibadan City Polytechnic were at the stadium to show solidarity for 3SC.(NAN)