Kano Pillars legendary Captain, Rabiu Ali has blamed lack of home settlement for the poor results his team is experiencing in the ongoing 2021/22 Nigeria Professional Football League season.
In a post-match interview after the 1-1 at the Sani Abacha Stadium by visiting Wikki Tourists on Sunday, Ali said for two seasons, they have lost their dominance at the famous Sani Abacha Stadium at Kofar Mata.
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“I think we are at a crossroads and have been playing like a team that never had a fan base. We just returned home and are yet to acclimatise with the turf,” stated Ali.
“Secondly, we missed our fans a great deal, knowing how they devout commitments to rally behind their team,” he said.
Both goals were scored in the first half, but Kano Pillars had a chance to take the lead once more on 82 minutes, when Ifeanyi Eze was upended in the opponents’ box by Salisu Adamu.
Wikki goalkeeper, Galadima Mohammed was the hero as he dived to his left to punch out Mallam Ali’s penalty kick.
Rabiu Ali is convinced that Kano Pillars have the qualities to survive the drop and insists they will intensify the tempo in a bid to salvage the club’s reputation.
“It is good to be back home. We also have a duty to put our house in order and see how we get the fans back to the stadium, hopefully, things will get better soonest,” assured Rabiu Ali.
The draw left Kano Pillars 16th on the league table with 39 points from 32 games. They host Dakkada FC in a rearranged NPFL fixture on Wednesday.
Wikki Tourists are now in the top-ten, having amassed 45 points from 33 rounds of matches.