INSIDE THE CLUBS

Zamfara United
As part of its plans for the start of next season, troubled Premier League side, Zamfara United, has sent 22 players packing from its camp. The team had 30 players and it has come as a shock that 22 of them have been shown the exit door by the management of the club. The biggest victim of those regarded as surplus to requirement is club captain and full-back, Hamisu Muhammed. Others asked to leave the club are Ola Ogundele, Tony Udeoyibo, Bilyaminu Muhammad, Samaila Abdullahi, Timothy Ndubuisi, Sani Muhammad Danbatto, Sanusi Sani, Bashir Musa, Bashir Abdulsalam, Sani Nana, Bagudu Abubakar, Kenneth Garba, Rabiu Hussaini, Peter Onehi and Humphrey Osaigboro.
The list of sacked senior players is completed by the inclusion of Kabiru Umar, Muhammad Garba, Ma’ruf Sulaiman, Monday Madaki and Sulaiman Umar.



Warri Wolves
Officials of the Warri club may be courting trouble after it refused to apologise to the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) for alleged improper conduct as charged by the league arbiter last week. Delta State Sports Commission chairman, Pinnick Amaju, has rubbished the directive that he should apologise to the Premier League chairman, Oyuki Obaseki, for demanding that he resigns in the wake of Wolves’ goalkeeper, Orobosa Adun’s death last month. The club's team manager, Okey Nwabeke, could also be caught in the ire of the NPL when he demanded that he wants an explanation for being suspended for six months from NPL-organised matches. Amaju was quoted as saying: "Obaseki has no locus over me, and so he or the NPL cannot ask me to apologise. I am not a member of the NPL. I am the chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, so what can he do to me if I don’t apologise. He is just an arrogant man who needs to humble himself."



Niger Tornadoes
Players and officials of the club would soon be invited to the Government House of Niger State for a reception after its impressive performance last season considering that the side started at the foot of the Premier League table. The state governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, requested to have the players and officials as company on a yet-to-be named date. Also, the players could be given the remaining of their signing-on fees before they meet with the Niger governor. It is believed that Tornadoes is indebted to the players to the tune of N40 million.
Also, Aliyu has told the club management to find a new coach in time to fill in the position vacated by Justin Tenger.




Gombe United
The club is keen to win a trophy next season and in a bid to achieve that it has set up a fund-raising committee to be able to generate money to motivate its players by the time next season gets underway. The move is to ensure that the club wins the Premier League and the Federation Cup at the end of the 2009/2010 season. The 10-man committee was inaugurated by the Gombe State Commissioner for Sports and Culture, Ahmed Yayari. A Board of Trustee was also appointed to manage the funds that the committee would raise so as to allow for transparency and accountability.



Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC)
The Oluyole Warriors resumed its pre-season training for the coming season in Ibadan. But it was shocking to note that the head coach, Franklin Howard, did not handle the first session on Monday morning. Even the spokesman of the club, Jubril Arowolo, testified to the fact when he said he spoke to the coach while he was on his way from Lagos to Ibadan to join up with the side. The incident is now fuelling speculations in the Jericho camp of the club that the former Nigerian international could be on his way out of the side this week.



Enyimba
The Peoples Elephant has rewarded Austin Eguavoen for winning the Federation Cup by handing him a contract extension. The chairman of the club, Felix Anyansi Agwu, is believed to be impressed by the work the former Super Eagles’ head coach had done with the club after taking charge as head of the coaching crew last year when Belgian coach, Maurice Cooreman’s contract was not renewed.



FC Taraba
After missing out on promotion to the Premier League from the National Division I League last season, the club has declared that it would open its camp on August 2. Coach of the side, Abubakar Sadiq, has been told by the management of the club to call in his players before August 6 since plans are underway to move the camp to the interior town of Wukari in Taraba.