Returns of 3SC will add value to top-flight football — Owolabi

Former international, Felix Owolabi, has said that the recent promotion of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) will add the value of top-flight football in the country.

The Oluyole Warriors spent four years languishing in the Nigeria National League (NNL) after they got relegated in 2017. The team bounced back to top-flight football following their qualification at the just ended NNL Super Eight playoff held in Enugu after they finished second behind Niger Tornadoes, the eventual winner of the NNL.

Speaking to The Guardian during the week, a thrilled Owolabi said the darling club of Ibadan playing in next season’s NPFL is an act of God, adding that the journey back to the country’s premier league was long overdue.

“The case of Shooting Stars Sports Club’s promotion has been long overdue. I want to compare it with the challenges the Israelites faced before they eventually got to the Promised Land.

“This, by my imagination, is an act of God. The promotion also justifies the remodelling of the Adamasingba Stadium in Ibadan, where Shooting Stars will be playing their home matches. This definitely will relieve the team of the burden of playing their home.

“This means that supporters of the club from far and near Ibadan will now have the opportunity to now watch their darling club play and win without much stress,” he said, adding that Ibadan will be alive again with media coverage of matches at the Adamasingba stadium.

“As usual, Ibadan will be alive again with media coverage of league matches involving 3SC and their ardent followership for the premier league games for next season. I expect the stands at the stadium to be filled again with supporters, who have been denied top-flight league football games.

“Apart from 3SC adding more value to the NPFL, it will also increase rivalry among traditional clubs in the league. Nigerians should also expect the thin crowd recorded at some NPFL fixtures in recent seasons to explode with 3SC being back to the Adamasingba Stadium except for the COVID-19 pandemic,” he stated.