Comrade Philip Shaibu, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, has shown that he is the talisman that the state owned premier league outfit, Bendel Insurance FC of Benin, needs to get back on its feet and he has predicted that the team will return to its winning ways as the league progresses.
In a rescheduled premier league match between the Insurance and the Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin on Wednesday evening, the home team came out victorious by a lone goal scored less than a minute to the end of injury time.
In a ding dong affair that kept the fans of the home team at the edge of their seat for most part of the match, it took the presence of Comrade Shaibu at the VIP Lounge to boost the fighting spirit of the Insurance players.
At the half time mark, the deputy governor took time out to elevate the spirit of the players of Edo Queens FC, the state owned female team by leading them in a fans zone sing song during which he told the ladies, who received him with cheers and aplomb, that better days lie ahead of them in the round leather game.
On the sideline of the match, Comrade Shaibu in a chat with reporters predicted that the Insurance are in for better days as the win against the Shooting Stars will stabilise them in the premier league.
“The win against the Shooting Stars today is a relief for all of us, the fans of Bendel Insurance and Bendel Insurance. Two draws and one loss is not where we want to be. This match was a must win for us. And I am happy that the God of soccer was with us in the last minute of the game and we were able to score the goal.Â
“A lot of our players are out(of the country). For sometime I have been out of the team because of the political issues that we had. This is my first time of coming out to watch them. You can see that a lot of our players are out. Some are in Ethiopia etc. I am happy that the exodus of players did not affect the coaching crew. Nnamdi is still there I know what he can do.
“I am sure in the coming days Insurance will bounce back. We will make sure that Insurance is the team to beat no matter the political difference. I am happy that we needed a win and we got it. This is going to be a morale booster for the players. This win will help them to stabilise in the league.
“At a time(in the course of the match) as a fan I was worried. But 20 minutes to the end of the game they picked up again and the pressure was more on the Shooting Stars. It’s a good win and now Bendel Insurance is returning back to the drawing board to be work in progress. We took it to a height where they were unbeaten in a full season.
“They broke the jinx of winning FA Cup after forty three years. That was how we took Bendel Insurance before politics came in. Now we are back and Insurance will return to its winning ways.”
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