By Andrew Abah, Abuja
Football fans, stakeholders and supporters of Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi are clamouring for the return of former club boss and ex-International Dominic Iorfa to help rescue the club from its current bad position in the relegation waters of the Nigeria Professional Football League NPFL season.
Most of the fans who spoke expressed displeasure over the sit down look attitude of the state government who had left the pride of Benue club in the hands of Administrators who lacks the basic knowledge and experience in club Management to take the club to its present bad situation despite the huge investment of Gov. Samuel Ortom in the club.
They wondered why the likes of Dominic Iorfa and others who have the political will and experience to manage the club were left out while unknown persons destabilise the team which used to bring laurels and honours to the state.
Mr Tersor Isaac, a die- hard fan of Lobi stars said the club was doing so well in both the league and the FA Cup during the tenure of Dominic Iorfa as vice Chairman of Lobi stars and wondered why such a person couldnt be considered to return to the club to save the team.
” It is painful to see my darling club at the bottom of the league table, let them bring back Iorfa or search
Andrew Ogiri, a civil servant and a strong follower of the club condenmed the attititude of players and Mangement of Lobi stars even as he blamed the government for appointing people with inadequate experience to handle the club.
” Yes i think Dominic Iorfa have all it takes because he played the ball both local and international, he is a coach, a former NFF member, we need who can rescue us now”.
Another stakeholder and former Referee who pleaded for annonymity blamed the present management for recruiting low quality players to the team.
He said Benue state can boost of good players plying their trades both in Nigeria and abroad and wondered why the management could not look inwards to get the right legs.
He recalled that during the era of Dominic Iorfa, he went round the nooks and crannies of Benue and other clubs in the country to recruit quality legs like Anthony Okpotu, Solomon Kwambe and others who are Benue state indegienes.
A reknowned sports journalist and former Chairman of SWAN in Benue state querried the rationale in appointing the management team of Lobi stars.
According to him, “you dont play politics with sports, most of the clubs doing well today globally is as a result of continuity in Management.
“The likes of Enyimba of Aba has a chairman Felix Anyansi who has been there for over 20 years and he is still there with good results”.
The likes of Iorfa were removed for a flimsy reason of that he has stayed long in the club, now look at where we found ourself, relegation zone”
” To me something must be done and urgently too, i speak from experience, if they can beg Iorfa to return, he has the network and contacts to save us from this mess” he concluded.
Lobi stars FC is presently rooted at the bottom of the NPFL table as at the end of the first round of the League and would require a miracle to escape relegation having sa mutt Pocked its technical crew, poor outpult from its players and a huge crisis in the Management team
