“We can’t be preparing horses for unknown wars” – Remo Stars coach on unsure NPFL kick-off date

As the 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) remain uncertain, the coach of Remo Stars, Daniel Ogunmodede believes it is worrisome preparing for the Nigeria Professional Football League without kickoff date.

While gearing up for a league in which the kick-off date is indefinite, the Ikene based NPFL side had recently celebrated their second pre-season tournament crown this year is set for the campaign of the new season.

“On a different note of coaching, physically, we are ready for the league. Technically, no. Tactically, maybe 80%. Psychologically maybe zero because the date of the kick-off of the league is indefinite. We can’t be preparing horses for unknown wars. Psychologically, it’s just picking when we are ready.

“Tactically, we know what we want to do if we have the players available. It was difficult during the Confederation Cup because we need to strengthen one or two departments. But now, tactically, we are ready because we know what to do. It’s a team that has a culture already.

“Any player that is coming in is going to adapt to our culture. We are not trying to any player’s culture. We just signed a player from Togo and he was able to play for some minutes and I am satisfied with what he did in a short time. I think he will proffer a lot of solutions to our puzzles,” he continued.

After winning the ValueJet Pre-Season Tournament leading to the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, Remo Stars won the Optimal Energy Gold Cup, defeating Shooting Stars under the tutelage of the team’s former coach, Gbenga Ogunbote 4-2 on penalties.

“It’s a game we deserved to win and we really worked hard for it as we know it’s going to be tough.” Ogunmodede reacted.

“We expected a rough challenge because the coach of our opponent is our last coach so it is expected to be an emotional game for us. In all, we wanted to win and were lucky to win. Penalty is a game of anyone but in the end, we were lucky to have the victory. We got some chances to win the game during the regulation time but unfortunately, we were not clinical in front of goal.”

Remo Stars crashed out of the 2022/2023 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup at the Preliminary Round, losing 2-1 on aggregate to ASFAR FC of Morocco.

“For a team that gets to the final, we were very good before we got to the final. No doubt about it, after we crashed out of the Preliminary Round of this season’s CAF Confederation Cup, our morale were down. It was difficult picking up again after the ships were down, it was very difficult.

“You know what it means for young lads who wanted to be at the next round of the competition. But unfortunately, we were out and that week was terrible for us including me as the coach. I don’t count the performance as a bad performance. That’s why we are in the final and that was why we got the cup at the end of the day.”

The coach lauded the organisers of the Optimal Energy Gold Cup after a successful tenth edition.

He said: “I will rate this tournament 10/10 because it’s a tournament that has been keeping us going. Imagine we have been without anything to contest for. It will mean as coaches we will be useless. As players and entities, we will also be useless. I want to praise the Ogunjobi Gold Cup organisers for a good job.

“This is their tenth year and imagine the level of consistency running for ten straight years. That’s a decade. Even our league has not run in such a race. I need to give it to them. No doubt about it.

“Personally, as a coach, I thank them as they were able to make me see a platform to practicalise what I learnt as a coach and studied every day. Imagine a Chemistry laboratory without chemicals to titrate your equations. We are very proud of the organisers.”

Remo Stars will continue its preparation ahead of the 2022/2023 NPFL season hoping for a kick-off date to be announced by the newly appointed Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the league.