By Saheed Afolabi
Niger Tornadoes head coach, Majin Mohammed, has attributed the club’s recent unconvincing performances to fatigue resulting from a congested fixture schedule.
The Ikon Allah Boys suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Bayelsa United on Wednesday, followed by a grueling road trip back to Minna.
Despite facing criticism from various quarters, Mohammed defended his players, stressing the physical toll that the tight match schedule has taken on the squad.
“The players are giving their all, but it’s clear that fatigue has set in,” Mohammed told Niger Tornadoes’ media.
“We need to manage the squad carefully to avoid further injuries. That’s why we rested some players in this match to allow them to regain some freshness.”
The experienced coach also called for more support, particularly requesting air travel for the team to ease the strain of long road trips, which he believes are exacerbating the fatigue.
“The long road trips are not helping our cause,” he explained.
“But for now, we don’t have any other option than to manage the players we have and take the games as they come, while hoping for better conditions in the future.”
Niger Tornadoes will face table-toppers Remo Stars in their next NPFL match on Sunday, December 1st, with the team hoping to bounce back from their recent setbacks.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
