GISTS FROM INSIDE THE CLUBS

Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC)
The newly-promoted club last Friday held an open screening exercise inside the Adamasingba Stadium in Ibadan, Oyo State in order to recruit new players for the club. One of the players that took part in the exercise told our correspondent that acting Shooting Stars’ head coach, Ajibade Babalade, and other coaches of the club took charge of the training programme. At the end of the activity, 20 players were shortlisted for the next phase of the screening to be held in the town of Ibadan. The mobile telephone numbers of the players were also taken and would be contacted by the club later this month.

Enugu Rangers
The last may not have been heard of the refusal to renew the contract of troubled Flying Antelopes’ head coach, Christian Chukwu, as Daily Independent understands that the Enugu State governor, Sullivan Chime, could summon the club board to explain its decision to show Chukwu the exit door. Our source also confirmed that the governor’s likely decision to summon the board is just to know what had led to the termination of Chukwu’s contract at the club and not necessarily interfering in the activities of the Premier League side. It is believed that the Enugu State government is concerned that one of the state’s legends in the round leather game should be sidelined in such a manner. Meanwhile, the club has settled the players’ signing-on fees of last season. The fees were paid to the players last week

Heartland FC
The Imo State government recently made available the sum of N200 million to the club to offset the backlog of match bonuses and allowances owed players of the Premier League club. The so-called amount is causing bad blood within the camp of the Naze Millionaires already, as the players are angry over the unequal treatment meted out to them. One of the players, who would not want his name in print, confided in our correspondent that he and his team-mates are unhappy with the slash in their payment. Some of the players got 50 per cent of their signing-on fees while others got between 30 and 20 per cent, which may not be unconnected with the fact that fund at the disposal of the club is not sufficient to pay the players same amount.

Dolphins FC
On Monday when the camp of the newly-promoted side to the Premier League resumed, it was filled with players of Rivers State origin. The plan, according to the club manager, Stanley Eguma, is to give the natives of the state the chance to also compete for places in the team of the National Division I League champion. Before Monday’s training session, Eguma had said he wants to give indigenes the benefit of doubt to battle for places in the team. He said: “A lot of people have agitated for more home boys to play for the team but I know it is not automatic. We have decided to use the first one week of our pre-season to try out the Port Harcourt boys. We want to give them a chance to strut their stuff and pick a few of them who we believe can break into the team for our closed camping later on.” It would be recalled that Dolphins Football Club was earlier scheduled to resume its pre-season camp on August 1 but had to extend it after the players’ off-season break was disrupted due to the National Division I League play-off against Kwara United.