Former youth international goalkeeper, Ambrose Vanzekin has heaped all blame for the current woes rocking Bendel Insurance FC of Benin City on the desk of the club’s management.
Although recent unruly action by their fans caused officials of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) to slam The Edo Arsenal with a deduction of three points, heavy fine and punishment to play behind closed doors, Vanzekin insists it is all due to poor management of his former team.
Sports247.ng reports that the Benin City-based Edo State-owned outfit currently sit last on the 20-team NPFL table, with just nine points from 11 matches, and the recent deduction compounded their woes.
Venzekin, who resigned as the club’s goalkeeper trainer on September 4th, said he is gravely hurt that the club he grew up with and played for through the years is now in such dire straits.
The silver medalist at both the 2005 FIFA U20 World Cup and 2008 Olympic Games lamented, “I feel very bad because, no matter what, it’s my team.
“My team before and still my team. Since I played for them before, I will never forget them.
“I can never forget where I come from; all my fans and everyone. If it’s about the management alone, I won’t say anything about Bendel Insurance … but it’s my home.”
Vanzekin, who was originally known as Uwazekin while growing up, then went ahead to elaborate on his submission about the team’s dwindling fortune, and stressed that the club’s management is to blame.
“It’s my Arsenal, but it’s very bad for us. For Insurance of Benin to be in this tight position.
“When you have bad management, what are you expecting? When I cry out that things are not working well; do you think things will just start working well automatically?
“No! People must rally round to work at Bendel Insurance,” Vanzekin stressed.
He then disclosed the factors that made him resign from his role in the club’s technical crew, amidst allegations that the management failed to maintain order and yet exerted negative influences on the tacticians.
“When I resigned, it was because we had issues. Many of us had endured a lot of pain,” Vanzekin disclosed.
He, however, concluded with a verdict that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the club, which won the FA Cup last season, is not relegated from the Nigerian top-flight league once again at the end of this campaign.
“We need to recover these three points back and be in a better position on the table.
“Where I am currently seeing Bendel Insurance is not where we are meant to be.
“It’s a coaching problem and a management problem. Both of them are working together.
“We also do not buy good players at any time. We just look around, and anything that comes is what we collect.
“We cannot look around and collect good players in another club. Our hands are too tight,” Vanzekin posited.
