President of the newly promoted Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)side, Remo Stars Football Club, Honorable Kunle Soname has talked up his team's chances to make a meaningful impact as they begin new life in the apex league in the country.
The former board member of Nigeria NationL League (NNL) disclosed this in an interview with sports writers at the ongoing Gold Cup Preseason Tournament in Ijebu-Ode on Monday.
What's your impression about the ongoing 4th Gold Cup Preseason Tournament?
I will say that it's a fairly well organized competition, well covered in terms of media, clearly I guess that had to do with caliber of people organizing the tournament, as Media men you will expect their colleagues will rally round them, but sincerely I will give it a good pass park.
What will you say about your team's performance in the competition so far as they have make it to the semi final?
That we are now at the semi finals did not actually matter to me, what I'm after is the way and manner the team plays, that's of value to me, as you know this is a preseason tournament nothing is at stake really, but I will say I'm not totally satisfied, though what the coaches has adduced is actually tenable as well, that they need to test the new players, that they are not using our best players so against that background, I think the team has done well.
Remo Stars played against Enyimba few days ago, with what you saw in that game, is that a moral booster for your team as you debut in the NPFL?
I think playing against Enyimba, is good for the boys because we've got quite a number of young players graduating from the junior team, it's good for the confidence, it's good for their moral as Enyimba is a very big team, but it's never been very easy for them against Remo Stars.
Enyimba cannot say they have an edge over us in proper competition, because we've played them twice in the Federation Cup, one in Round of 16, one in Round of 32, we won one and they won the other, so that result is nothing extra ordinary.
What should the fans be expecting from Remo Stars in the NPFL and do you think your ready for it?
Like the team is ready? I will say no as the way it is now, but it's a work in progress and I think I'm satisfied with the progress they are making by the day.
I'm sure by the time the league will start I think they will be very ready, and talking about what they should expect, we have our goal, and the goal of this club this season, is to do everything possible, of course within the legal sporting means to maintain our NPFL status, and if at the end of the season we maintain our status, then we would have become NPFL champions by our standard, that's what we've set for ourselves.
Ijebu-Ode was your home ground while in the NNL, now that you've been promoted, will you still remain there or are you having other centre in mind?
Well that's still not cast in concrete for now, so it might not be well for me to make a categorical statement about that, the League Management Company (LMC) will be coming to inspect the stadium, so we will present here and other alternative stadium to them, which is the Gateway Stadium, Sagamu so probably it's up to them to decide.
Remo Stars is one of the household name clubs in Nigeria, privately run, you won a lot of hearts while in NNL, now in the apex league, are you more challenged now to further warm your way into the hearts of soccer loving Nigerians?
Naturally football followers would lean towards a football club like ours, young team, privately run, the style we play, so naturally fans will warm up to us and I'm also encouraged to do a bit more, go the extra mile to see that we don't let the fans down, and the end of the day we achieve our goal by not relegating at the end of the season thereby making the fans happy.
Football is capital intensive, as the sole financier of Remo Stars, what are the ways you're working towards getting something from the club?
Yes, we've been playing in the NNL for the past five years now, now we are in the NPFL, of course it's a different bottle of fish now, but we've used those five years to learn the ropes and I can assure you if the team is not self sustaining at the end of this season, I'm sure by next year I wouldn't have to put a dime of my money into this team, that's the templates that I've strived to achieve, you know I've got other clubs which is run by themselves.
I believe same should be done here, if not this season, I'm sure by next season Remo Stars should be able to auto-runned without putting any money into it.
As a former member of the NNL, what do you made of the newly appointed board of directors for various leagues in the Nigeria?
Well that's a bit contentious, but I've always said it probably because I'm a politician, I'm a democrat by nature, I do not see any reason, none whatsoever why some people will sit down somewhere and appoint people for other people.
Let's look at like this, these teams in various league are limited liability companies so if they come together to form a league, let say Women League Nigeria Limited, it means each and everyone of them is a director of the company or a shareholder of the company, now how can you bring a third party that has no shareholding in our company and be the chairman of our company, as far as I'm concerned that's totally unacceptable.
For me, I've made this case severally but it is what it is, but if you judge that also against the background that look they've done LMC, we've seen what LMC have done you must give it to them, they've done very well for the league, probably that's what on their minds but technically as far as I'm concerned it's totally unacceptable.
On the last note, what's your message for numerous Remo Stars fans?
First I have to thank them, thank God Almighty, without them we wouldn't have gotten this promotion and that we urge them to keep supporting the team and we will not let them down in terms of what is expected of us, we will do everything possible to ensure that the team maintain its premiership status as we look forward to their more support in the NPFL next season.
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