Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Baldwin Bazuaye, Chief Coach of Bendel Insurance FC of Benin, has said that the team is in the premiership league to stay.

He said this on Wednesday in Benin after his side drew 1 -1 with Sapele Lions in a friendly match played at the UNIBEN sports complex.

The game was however abandoned close to the end of the second half over a controversial penalty awarded to the visitors by the center referee.

According to him, “Our plan is to remain in the Premiership. We are not just here to make up the number. We have worked hard to come to the elite league and we will also work hard to remain and win laurels.

“Our loss to MFM in Lagos is a temporary setback which we have put behind us. We are now set for the return leg coming up on Sunday. My players are both physically and mentally prepared to put smiles on Insurance fans, come Sunday.

“My message to out teaming fans is that they should not lose confidence in us, and we will not disappoint them. We are here in the premiership to stay, but we need their unalloyed support to keep going. I urge them to come out in the numbers on Sunday to cheer us to victory, it is very important for us,” Bazuaye said.

The Benin Arsenals are currently on the 11th position on the league table after drawing series of games and loosing the MFM of Lagos last Sunday.

Meanwhile, the head coach of Sapele Lions, Johnbull Egharevba, has that the main of the club is to train and export young Nigerian players to other countries.

The very young and highly mobile team who recently bought a space in the NNL, forced the Insurance FC of Benin to a draw in a friendly match abandoned over a controversial penalty awarded them by the center referee.

The former Dynamite FC coach said his motive as a coach is to win the league and the FA cup for Sapele Lions.

“The project is not mainly about Nigeria league. It is to take young players abroad. If you see the young caliber of players we have, they are all young players who still have many years to play,” he said.