Former Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) head coach, Nurudeen Aweroro, has opened up about his leaving the club following a sequence of events.
In an interview with Prime FM, Aweroro explained that the management of the club believes he is incapable of leading them into next season in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and more importantly, the CAF Confederation Cup.
He said he told the club chairman, Honourable Taiwo Salami, that he knew his time was up at Shooting Stars.
”When they reached out to me that we should mutually agree to part ways, I told the chairman I expected this long time ago. I was told they didn’t want me anymore because I won’t be able to meet the demands of playing in the NPFL and on the continent. And I accepted the decision,” Aweroro claimed.
He took time to reveal how the pressure that came with being Shooting Stars head coach last season.
”When I started work, I was asked if Tammy could join me, I said yes and that’s how he was appointed team manager. Others I brought were also appointed. But when the (last) season was about to start there were bickerings here and there, and even threats of we will sack you for not winning matches. Or, at times, when I use a player they feel I shouldn’t use. I didn’t allow that to deter me as I focused on the target ahead,” he said.
CHOOSING 3SC OVER KANO PILLARS & NASARAWA UNITED
Aweroro could not resist the call of joining Shooting Stars as he felt it was closer to home. Besides, he had his secondary school education in Ibadan at Loyola College so he knew the city and its football culture well.
He revealed his first meeting with Shooting Stars chairman as well the Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde, leading to accepting the club’s offer to become their head coach.
The former Ikorodu City man added that he has interests from two other NPFL sides, Kano Pillars and Nasarawa United before opting for Shooting Stars.
”Honourable Taiwo Salami is a father to me. He came to see me in Lagos and told he would like me to come work with him at Shooting Stars. I was with Tammy Tamuno, my personal manager and team manager at Ikorodu City on that day. I told him I will like to work with him. He asked if I can leave Ikorodu City and I said yes I can leave Ikorodu City.
”I was in talks with Kano Pillars and Nasarawa United and a decision was to be made in a week before Honourable Taiwo Salami approached me about joining Shooting Stars. I decided to choose Shooting Stars because I felt it is home for me. He told me they wanted a continental ticket and he took me to meet the (Oyo State) governor, Seyi Makinde, who also said he wanted us to win a continental ticket. And I agreed with them. I prayed for good fortune and worked hard towards it because I knew the pressure that comes with working at Shooting Stars.
WHY I LEFT IKORODU CITY
He further disclosed that the choice of leaving Ikorodu City was entirely his own necessitated by the overbearing nature of the club’s technical director Bright Ozebagbe at the time.
”Already at that time, I was planning my exit from Ikorodu City. The reason I wanted to leave Ikorodu City at that time was because of the technical director (Bright Ozebagbe) they appointed. His job is more of an office job and remember he resigned as head coach then before I took over. He kept interfering in my job as head coach and I didn’t like it. At that point I told my team manager (Tammy) to send out my CV,” he stated.
Aweroro was Shooting Stars head coach for 280 calendar days during which he led them to a third-place finish, thereby winning them their first continental spot in 27 years.
He was in charge of 38 league games of which they won 18, drew six and lost 14.