By Mike Oboh
Nigeria premier league champions, Plateau United football club will begin its preparations for the season billed to start on November 18 this year, as the players are expected to commence training on Wednesday in Jos.
The club’s Technical Adviser, Abdullahi Maikaba told Daybreak Sports in an exclusive interview that the players are expected to resume on Wednesday to begin preparations for its national and continental engagements.
Maikaba said the club would have started its training programme earlier than the Wednesday date but for the crisis of the #Endsars, protest in the state, it was better the camp opens on the said date.
The versatile coach said the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation to fix the resumption date for on the November 18, was a welcome development as it will create apple time for the teams campaign in the Africa champions league and the Confederation Cup competitions to prepare well ahead.
He said for his team, the focus will be how best to get a better result from the continental engagement and a repeat of their sterling performance in the local league last season.
He said the club will also see how best they can tap from its experience from the continental engagement it did in recent years.
The Kano born coach reinstated that the players who are newly recruited by the club will now have the apple time to blend with the old ones to get the desired results.
While speaking on the welfare package for the club, he commended the state government for its unflinching support towards getting the best of all the players.
“The Plateau State government under the able leadership of Governor Simon Lalong has been forth right in the payment of the players’ entitlements, as we speak now the government has been up to date with the payment of our salaries despite the COVID 19 pandemic which is very commendable and a plus for our quest to get the needed result.
“I must tell you, the management too have been up and doing in our collective desire to improve on our performance so for us, getting a good result in the local and continental championship will be the only way to pay back and by God’s grace it will be done,” he said.
