Remo Stars Target Naija Super 8 N25m Prize Money

Kunle Adewale

After comprehensively defeating Shooting Stars of Ibadan in the Naira Super 8 play offs at the Eket Township Stadium, Akwa Ibom State and booking their place in the finals in Lagos, Coach of Remo Stars, Daniel Ogunmodede has stated that the next line in the agenda of the Ikenne-based team is to win the Naija Super 8 finals in Lagos and consequently the  N25 million prize money the overall winner would cart away.

In an interview with THISDAY, the coach of the CAF Champions League qualifier said his team has what it takes to emerge as winners of the maiden edition of the Naija Super 8 slated for July 7 to 14, at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, in Lagos.

“We are going to Lagos with a winning mindset. We want to win all games and we’ve got what it take to achieve it when you consider our structure and philosophy.

Asked how he has been able to get the better of his more illustrious opponent each time the two teams meet, he said:”I have the number of Coach Ogunbote (Shooting Stars’ coach). Though he’s like a father to me and have been in the game for a very long time but I understand his strength and weaknesses and tried to exploit it. And over the years the results have been what it is.

“But today (last Saturday), I think we were just lucky because we’ve not fully recovered from the fatigue of the Super Six, the players were tired and we didn’t do too much to win. Maybe we deserve to win but not with the kind of wide margin,” he noted.

On the chances of Remo Stars going far in the CAF Champions League, Ogunmodede said though his side are new in the competition they will not be intimidated in anyway.

“ Its our first time in the Champions League, second time in the continent, but unfortunately people still look at us like a rookie but we don’t look ourselves like that because we believe in ourselves with a strong intention to go into any game and win.

“ We draw up our plan, we follow it religiously and wait for the outcome. As a coach, I cannot determine the outcome of a game. I can only map out plans and hope the boys will follow it. Champions League is no different,” an optimistic Ogunbodede said.

Reacting to the clomour in some quarters that Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe in September should be prosecuted with home-based players Ogunbodede reacted thus:” I am not the coach, Jose Peseiro is the coach and I believe he knows what to do. But in fairness I think we have a good number of home-based players that deserve to be in the team, but I cannot decide for the coach. He has his job and he needs to do it the way he thinks its the best way.”