The Plateau United Football Club of Jos management has placed the entire team on half their salary following their 2-0 loss to Ilorin’s Kwara United on the first match day of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
The Club’s press officer, Albert Dakup, in a statement in Lagos, revealed that the club took the tough stance following the loss at New Jos Stadium on Sunday 27 December.
The statement said that the club’s general manager (GM), Pius Henwan, delivered the directive while addressing players and coaches during which he told them they had no excuse for not beating their opponents, describing their performance as unacceptable.
“You have to make up all three points in your next away game and until that is achieved, you will stay on half salary,” Henwan said, citing the statement.
Henwan lamented that despite the huge investments of the state government in the team, the players were not reciprocating the gesture, warning that anyone who was not ready to work for the collective aspirations of the team would be shown the way out.
“Plateau United is a great brand in Nigerian football and any of you who are not ready to defend the club’s colors should retire.
“Some of you are injured or ill since we returned from Tanzania, but it seems that others decided to exclude themselves from training under the pretext of being injured. Here such indiscipline will not be tolerated and whoever is found to be lacking will be resolved decisively, ”warned the GM.
He ordered the technical team and the rest of the backroom staff to close ranks and work as a team to turn the club’s fortunes around, while expressing confidence in head coach Abdu Maikaba’s ability to deliver.
Henwan assured the head coach that management will continue to provide him with the utmost support in order for him to be successful and that he must take all necessary measures to get the team back on the winning track and not allow negative criticism from his detractors to discourage him.
The head coach, who had previously described the criticism against him as unfair and unfounded, was quoted in the statement as saying he was willing to step aside if it was seen as the team’s problem.
“I have worked hard to give all the players the opportunity to compete for places on the team. If some players accuse me of bias, then the identity of those players will be revealed because it is they who frustrate my efforts to change the fortunes of the team, “said Makaiba.
Plateau United lost 2-0 to Kwara United FC at New Jos Stadium last Sunday in one of the NPFL Week 1 games played across the country.
YAYA
