By Isaac Afolabi
A Former chairman of the Ondo state football agency ODSFA Otunba Akin Akinbobola says despite the poor run of sunshine stars football club of Ondo state in the ongoing Nigeria professional football league,the team will still escape relegation.
Otunba Akin Aknbobola stated this in an exclusive interview in Akure.
The former NPL board member while expressing his reservations over the administrative prowess and management of the teams in the past years especially during the current administration of Gov Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said those in charge derail from the vision and tradition established for the progress of ODSFA.
The football administrator however was optimistic that with the current panel set up by the Ondo state governor to oversea the affairs of the agency which is in charge of sunshine stars and sunshine queens led by the Ondo state deputy governor Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa are poised at reshaping the team.
While reacting at the rumor by some quarters that the government was planning to sell sunshine stars,Mr Akinbobola said selling the team will have negative effect on the emotion of the fans,quench the vision which was to holistically groom young talents from the nooks and craning of the state and block any means of generating income for the state.
The secretary of the Western Nigeria Football forum however advise that the Ondo state government should retain the teams(sunshine stars and sunshine queens) but allow those with genuine interest,passion and technical ability to sail the affairs of the team.
He also frowned at the handling of the agency whose aim was to scout for raw talents for the state teams and other football engagement by the handlers saying under his watch ODSFA organized several football tournaments which led to the discovery of footballers now playing for Nigeria national teams and European clubs.
Mr Akinbobola while recounting the good old days said sunshine stars if well handled can return to the continent like it did in the 2012/13 CAF champion league and confederation cup were the team played at the semi final stage,finished second in the Nigeria domestic league and have over four players in the national teams while the sunshine queens won the 2015 Federation cup in Lagos.
He further called for patient and support from the people of Ondo state in changing the fortune of the state owned football teams.
