By Wale Mustapha
Kano Pillars head coach Usman Abdallah has blamed the absence of key players for his team’s 2-1 defeat to Enyimba FC in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 34 fixture on Sunday.
The match, held at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba, saw the “Peoples’ Elephant” edge out the “Pyramid Boys” in a closely contested encounter.
Abdallah revealed that his tactical preparations were significantly disrupted by the last-minute unavailability of three regular starters: captain Ahmed Musa, Shehu Abdullahi, and vice-captain Fahad Usman.
“Ahmed Musa and Shehu Abdullahi, at the dying minute, could not get a flight for this match,” Abdallah told Complete Sports after the game.
“Fahad Usman was discovered to be suspended for one game, having received five yellow cards. Three regular players who had trained with us throughout the week were ruled out of the team, and I think that affected us.”
Kano Pillars will look to bounce back when they host Rivers United in their Matchday 35 clash at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano later this weekend.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
