By Wale Mustapha
Shooting Stars midfielder Mohammed Tijani has issued a rallying call ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated South-West derby clash with Remo Stars in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The Oluyole Warriors will host their rivals from Ikenne on Matchday 34 at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, in a match that could prove crucial to both teams’ ambitions this season.
Shooting Stars, led by head coach Gbenga Ogunbote, are winless in their last three league outings.
However, Tijani believes the fixture provides the perfect opportunity to reignite their form and keep their hopes of a continental ticket alive.
“Dear Remo Stars, we are going to show you no mercy this week. We are not afraid of any team. We will get the three points — no way for the Sky Blue Armies,” Tijani said in an interview with Nigerian Players Gallery.
“Our continental ticket hope is still alive. We will keep on fighting; we will never give up. We don’t fear any team. We are coming back stronger than before.”
Shooting Stars currently sit sixth on the NPFL table with 48 points from 33 matches, while Remo Stars lead the standings with 62 points from the same number of games.
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.
