Insurance Unbeaten Run Faces Shooting Stars’ Test

Bendel Insurance of Benin have not only surprised followers of this season’s abridged Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, but themselves, posting an unblemished record in the league so far as the team is yet to taste defeat after 16 games and this is what today’s guest-Shooting Stars, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, would be hoping to halt as they battle the Group A leaders tomorrow.

Shooting stars who were lambasted by Coach Gbenga Odubote for their 1-0 loss to relegation battlers, Nasarawa United will only be playing to place respectably on the log as their hope for a Super-four finish has dwindled as they are currently placed sixth in the table with  21 points after 16 matches.

Bendel Insurance stretched their unbeaten run to 16 matches after they drew 0-0 with Gombe United in the MatchDay16 encounter at the Pantami Stadium Gombe, in which the Benin side was accused of being aided by the referee.

The Technical Adviser of Gombe United Football Club, Aliyu Zubairu, on Sunday rued their failure to end Bendel Insurance’s unbeaten run saying that their plan was frustrated by poor officiating by the centre referee, Babayanje Saed,

Zubairu told sports journalists shortly after the match that the attitude of the referee during the game was questionable and should be properly investigated by the league organisers.

”The attitude of the officiating referee in stopping the game intermittently without good reasons frustrated the flow of ball which affected my players’ performance on the pitch.

“The action of the referee created tension during the game and this affected the morale of my team and this made the visiting team to escape defeat.

“The referee did not allow the game to flow, the officiating in general. They were stopping the match with no reason and that was done for more than six times.

“They were inviting unnecessary pressure, and I think the organisers should ask him why he did what he did,” he said.

Zubairu said after doing his part of coaching his players on how to play, it was regrettable that the referee did not allow the game to go freely.

“We did not play up to 70 minutes all through the game. Once the game was progressing, he (the referee) was always coming up with an antic to stop the game for a minute or two.

“The organisers should look into this. When the league started, the referees were doing well but, as for this referee, I don’t know what to say,” he said.

Zubairu said if the referee had officiated fairly and provided a level playing ground during the game “there would have been no escape route for our opponents.

“If this is how they (Bendel Insurance) are getting the officiating in order to remain unbeaten, they will remain unbeatable.

“NPFL this season has been very good but I am sorry to say that if this is how Bendel Insurance have remained unbeaten, then it is a flaw.”

On his part, Bendel Insurance’s head coach, Monday Odigie, told NAN he was disappointed with the host team’s attitude in spite of getting warm welcome when they visited Benin.

Odigie said the hosts failed to reciprocate the kind gesture they got at Bendel Insurance’s home ground during the first round.

“But coming here, they want to win at all cost. I don’t know what to say. It (the attitude of the hosts) is not expected of a country that wants its Premiership to be sold out.

“When they (Gombe United) came to Benin, we had good football, and they played a draw. They were cheered, and we hugged ourselves before leaving the pitch. But see what the coach is now doing.

“Looking at this, does he want to win it by all means?” he asked.

With the crucial away draw, Insurance have maintained their four point lead at the top of the table with 32 points while Enyimba who recorded a vital 1-0 away win against El-Kanemi Warriors are in second place with 28 points.      

Meanwhile, Insurance midfielder, Divine Nwachukwu says the chance of creating history with the club is a driving force for the players, while insisting that the team’s priority remains achieving the Super 6 .

“Remaining unbeaten feels so special, knowing that we are newly promoted from the NNL and now topping the table in the NPFL. It’s like a dream come true and I want to be part of that history,” Nwachukwu said.

“Its not been easy playing in the league, but we have progressed as a team and at this point, we believe anything is possible.

“The main target is the Super 6, and when we have that in our hands, we can begin to talk of even winning the league.”

Bendel Insurance have two games until the end of the season, a home game against Shooting Stars and an away fixture against Nasarawa United.