By Wale Mustapha
Habila Hosea Mutla, Chairman of Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side Plateau United, has credited his team’s recent impressive form to patience and stability.
The Peace Boys have been in excellent form, winning five of their last six NPFL matches, a run that has boosted the club’s position on the league table. Their most recent triumph was a surprising 1-0 victory away at Rangers in Enugu.
Mutla expressed satisfaction with the team’s performances, emphasizing that the decision to part ways with head coach Mangut during a challenging spell was never on the table.
“It’s all down to our patience. We chose to remain patient. As I mentioned before, that wasn’t the right time to change the coaching personnel,” Mutla explained.
“There was no guarantee of a better replacement, and a suitable alternative wasn’t available.”
He continued, “Also, handing the team over to the assistants wasn’t a viable option. If changes had been made and results didn’t improve, who would take responsibility?”
Mutla believes that maintaining stability, working hard, and staying prayerful were key to turning things around. “So, the best decision was to maintain stability, work hard, and stay prayerful. And I must say, our patience has paid off,” he told Complete Sports.
Looking ahead, Plateau United will face Sunshine Stars in the Round of 32 of the President Federation Cup on Wednesday in Anyingba.
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.
