On Wednesday, July 5, my darling football clubs, Kano Pillars and Katsina United, bounced back to the top flight after spending a season in the lower division of the Nigerian league. The football powerhouses and inarguably two of the biggest and most followed clubs in the northern part of Nigeria were relegated at the end of the 2022 season after posting shambolic performances. Well, by the special grace of God, they didn’t waste too much time before storming back into the NPFL. From the regular season to the just concluded NNL Super 8, kano Pillars and Katsina United maintained their dominance as they towered above opponents. So, come next season, the ‘Masu Gida’ and ‘Chanji boys’ will be playing in a more familiar terrain.
However, as we celebrate the return of the two clubs to the NPFL, we must not shy away from telling them the bitter truth. The football-loving people of the north adore Kano Pillars and Katsina United so they must be born again. To be born again is to shun or refrain from old habits that do not conform to acceptable behaviour. I hope I am not beginning to run in circles. So, the point here is that these clubs in the past years fell short of expectations in the way they conducted themselves.
In very specific terms, these clubs’ major problem is hooliganism which has become a serious cog in the wheel of their progress. Sadly, the management of both clubs has not demonstrated enough capacity to tame their irate supporters. It is hard for a season to end without these two clubs getting involved in acts of hooliganism home or away. As a matter of fact, it is one thing to have teeming fans and another to put them to good use. When fans are allowed to misbehave, they become a nuisance to the clubs they claim to be supporting. These two clubs can attest to this fact because hooliganism contributed substantially to their relegation last season. Hooliganism cost both clubs valuable points which in the end impacted negatively on their final standings on the league table.
So, Pillars and Katsina United must strive to change their old ways. They must give their overzealous fans a new orientation that football is not war. It is a beautiful game that has the capacity to unite us if played fairly. Therefore, instead of constantly beating drums of war before, during, and after football matches, these irate fans who masquerade as supporters to give Pillars and Katsina United a bad name must repent in the best interest of the clubs. What is more disturbing is that even as neighbours, the fans don’t see eye to eye. Despite several peace meetings, the spirit of retaliation is very much in them.
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Why it is necessary for Pillars and Katsina United to work on their fans is that they are the ones who suffer the consequences of the fans’ barbaric acts. In the 2022 season, both clubs had their problems compounded by the bad behaviours of their supporters. At a point, Pillars were uprooted from their adopted home ground in Kaduna to play at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja while Katsina United were moved to Kaduna. Funny enough, Kano Pillars’ first home match after a long stay away from home was against Katsina United and the expected happened at the Sani Abacha stadium.
When it became clear that the match was going to end in a barren draw, hooligans believed to be supporters of Pillars invaded the pitch. After bringing the match to a sudden halt, they went ahead to vandalize Katsina United’s coaster bus. That unfortunate incident proved costly. Pillars were banished but after a few matches, they got provisional approval to return to Kano. Unfortunately, their homecoming was marred by the then Chairman of the club, Alhaji Shuaibu Yahaya alias Jambul, who physically assaulted an assistant referee in the rescheduled week 31 match against Dakkada. It was that day that Pillars relegation was sealed.
I have taken time to bring out some of these ugly incidents to buttress the irrefutable fact that hooliganism played a major role in the recent misfortune of Kano Pillars. Both Pillars and Katsina United are guilty but when weighed on a scale, it will be discovered that the former are worse offenders. So, the management of Pillars must purge the club of all traces of hooliganism. There should be no sacred cow as anyone seen to be capable of tarnishing the good image of the club is reprimanded, and if necessary, shown the exit door.
It is on this note that I want to advise the management of Kano Pillars to as a matter of necessity call the legendary Rabiu ‘Pele’ Ali to order. He should know that apart from being an influential player on the pitch, he is also the face of the club. Whatever he does on the field is seen and emulated by the supporters who need only a little spark to explode. Anytime he protests violently on the pitch, the fans respond in the stands. I remember vividly what happened in Lagos where his altercation with FIFA referee, Adebimpe Quadri, led to the vandalisation of the Agege Township by angry fans believed to be supporters of Pillars. Anything Pele does is good in the eyes of these fans who idolise him. No doubt, he has a cult following in Kano but he should put it to good use. It is, therefore, disturbing that he saw red again in the last match against Katsina United in Asaba.
Apart from the problem of hooliganism, Pillars and Katsina United must avoid the ‘nomadic’ life they lived in the 2022 season. It is said there is no place like home but both clubs played most of their home matches away from home. In as much as some of their fans made sacrifices to follow them, the home atmosphere was always missing. Moreover, playing home away from home in the NPFL does not guarantee the much-desired home advantage. Visiting clubs play with more confidence because they know it is a 50-50 affair. Therefore, Pillars and Katsina United must upgrade their facilities per the existing clubs licensing regulations. In addition, they must avoid acts that would lead to banishment. Anytime they want to misbehave, they should remember what caused their last relegation.
Therefore, as Kano Pillars and Katsina United celebrate their return to the NPFL, they should spare some time to reflect on the mistakes of the past and how they can be avoided going forward. The new leadership of the NPFL is determined to stamp out hooliganism in the league. Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye and his men have said it is no longer business as usual and I think they mean serious business. Therefore, the two giants of Nigerian football and other clubs notorious for acts of hooliganism must turn new leaves or be prepared to face the impending wrath of the IMC.
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