Akwa United: Paul Bassey reveals why Muhammed Babaganaru resigned as head coach

By: Saheed Afolabi

The Chairman of Akwa United, Paul Bassey, has shared the reasons behind the resignation of Muhammed Babaganaru as the club’s head coach.

Akwa United has found itself battling relegation, sitting in 19th place on the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) table with only 16 points from 16 matches.

Bassey expressed his disappointment with the club’s current position and revealed that despite Babaganaru’s previous successes, the decision to part ways was necessary given the team’s struggles this season.

“In football tradition around the world, when results are not forthcoming, it’s the coaches who pay for the poor run of form, irrespective of their output or past achievements,” Bassey stated. “Babaganaru is a good coach who has worked with many clubs in this country and won trophies, but it didn’t work out for him as planned this season.”

Bassey acknowledged Babaganaru’s crucial role in helping Akwa United avoid relegation last season and praised his contributions.

“He joined us last season and contributed immensely to helping us beat the drop. We can’t forget that and we commend him. I can say that our results and position on the log this season are not a true reflection of the work he has done with the team,” Bassey added.

The Akwa United chairman stressed that the club’s status in the relegation zone is unacceptable, given its rich history and pedigree, and that changes were necessary to avoid further decline.

To address the team’s struggles, Bassey confirmed that Akwa United will reinforce its squad during the upcoming mid-season transfer window in January.

In the interim, the club’s psychologist, Coach Ime Uko, will serve as the Technical Adviser, while Umar Abdullahi and the assistant coaches will continue to lead the team until a permanent replacement is appointed.

“Coach Muhammed Babaganaru is a core professional, and we will miss him,” Bassey said.

“His resignation may not be the only solution to our problem. We are not happy with the performance of our players and have already started planning to strengthen the team when the mid-season transfer window opens.”

Bassey praised Babaganaru’s character, calling him “a gentleman to the core, hardworking, humble, and a team player,” and wished him well in his future endeavors.

“We accepted his resignation in good faith, and it was a pleasure working with him,” he concluded.