The immediate past Technical Adviser of Enyimba International FC, Coach Usman Abdallah has said the former African champions won’t win another continental title unless the management changes its way of doing things.
The ‘Peoples elephants’ as Enyimba are called won the prestigious CAF Champions League back to back in 2003 and 2004 and since then have continued to search fruitlessly for another continental honour.
It will be recalled that this year, Enyimba started their continental campaign in the CAF Champions League but dropped to the Confederation Cup where they were eliminated by Guinean side, Horoya AC at the quarter-final stage.
Abdallah who left Enyimba after their scandalous 0-4 loss to Plateau United in Jos told Daily Trust that he departed when it became evident that the unnecessary interference in his job was not going to abate.
He said those who believed they know everything about the club and football in general refused to give him the much needed free hand to operate as head of the technical crew.
Apart from undue interference in his job, the Franco-Nigerian coach said players welfare was not a thing of priority to the management and it didn’t go down well with him.
He said “There are people in the club who don’t know the job but feel since they have been there for several years, they know everything. But it is old fashion. Most of them are outdated.
“I stayed back in Enyimba because I was chasing a continental title. I didn’t want to be participating only. That was what I did for the past two to three years. I had won the domestic league so I wanted something bigger.
“Unfortunately, I was not given the free hand to do my job. They don’t want to work with someone who understands them and knows exactly what they are doing.
“But I was different because I disagreed with them on issues pertaining to welfare of players and undue interference in my job. So when the working environment became hostile, I decided to leave.”
The coach of Wikki Tourists, therefore, said unless they change their system, Enyimba won’t be able to win another continental title again.
“They are still dreaming of what they did before but they can’t do it again. With what they are doing, I don’t think they are a team that can win a continental trophy.
“If things were done the way I planned and they left things to me, we would have won this year’s Confederation Cup because we had weak opponents we could have beaten easily,” said Abdallah.
