Fans of Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure, Ondo State, have called for the removal of Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Dele Ologun, over the recent woeful performance of the club.
Some fans and key stakeholders, who spoke with reporters at Akure Stadium after Sunshine Stars’ match against Rangers, blamed the team’s poor outing on the planned sale of the club, whose announcement they described as ill-timed.
The club, also known as Owena Whales, has failed to win its last three games in Group B of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). They drew with Wikki Tourists away in Bauchi on match day 10 and played 1-1 with Doma United in Akure on match day 11 before holding visiting Rangers to a 1-1 draw on match day 13.
The stakeholders criticized the timing of the announcement of the plan to sell the club, saying the state’s overall sports development would suffer if the government continued with the proposal.
One of the fans, Emmanuel Ayodele, said, “Even if the club will be sold, the commissioner has not managed it well. Why discuss the issue now when the team is at the critical stage of the football season?
“Mr. Ologun has shown clearly that he is not capable of managing sensitive public offices. You can see the fans are not happy because the team is not getting good results at home. He has used the plan to sell the club to distract the team further. We advise Mr. Governor and his deputy, Aiyedatiwa, to immediately remove the man, please,” the angry fan said.
Another fan, Ojo Akinbo, said, “There is nothing totally wrong with privatizing the team, provided the government carries all of us along and follows due process, but for Mr. Ologun to be using such to distract the players and coaching crew, it is condemnable, and he should be sanctioned before he destroys the team.
“Since the Sports Commissioner has been discussing the sale of Sunshine Stars, the players, and the management are no longer focused on football matters. It shows Mr. Ologun does not know how to manage critical issues, and we want him to be removed.”
In his reaction, Ologun said, “The game we had a few days ago, even the blind could see that we were robbed. It was daylight robbery, even the match before this one, and this would be the third time. People could be mischievous, and it doesn’t matter; it is part of sports anyway.
“So, if they are calling for my removal, there is no problem with that; it is normal. Football is a unifier. So, it is normal when some people feel they should have won when they lost, and it is normal when they react. But hope is not lost yet, and I understand our people.”
