Football stakeholders in Ondo State have given Ondo State Government one year ultimatum to return Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens to back the premier League.
The stakeholders decried the relegation of both Sunshine Stars, Sunshine Queens, and the dwindling fortunes of other sports in the state.
At a media parley with Newsmen in Akure, the state capital, the stakeholders called on the Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to set up a panel of enquiry to probe the last five matches played by Sunshine Stars.
Some of the stakeholders pledged to testify and provide evidence if such a panel is constituted.
The former Chairman of the Ondo State Football Agency (ODSFA), Akinshola Akinbobola, flanked by the ex-Chairman of the Sunshine Stars Supporters Club, Mr. Oduyi Emmanuel, and a former player of Rising Stars, Mr. Udo Daniel, expressed pain over the relegation of Owena Whales, once considered the state’s heritage and pride to the lower league.
Akinbobola further lamented that other sports, including male basketball, male handball had also been relegated in their respective leagues.
"Since 2016, Sunshine Stars have been battling relegation season after season.
"Three seasons ago, when the current Governor was Deputy Governor, he called on me to assist in rescuing the team after they went 18 games without a win.
"By the grace of God and the involvement of key individuals, we were able to rescue the team from relegation," he said.
The stakeholders unanimously gave the state government a one-year ultimatum to return the teams to their respective elite leagues, insisting that it is achievable with the appointment of technocrats to professionally manage the teams.
"Relegation to the lower league is not a sin, but our inability to rise quickly will be our greatest undoing.
"While we call for a probe into how we found ourselves in this situation, we are also calling on the government to set up a high-powered committee of football administrators within the state, with a mandate to return the teams to the premiership within a year."
Citing Nasarawa United’s relegation in the 2022/23 season and their return to the elite league after just one season in the lower division, Akinbobola expressed optimism: “With the right people managing the team, I am confident Sunshine Stars will return within a year. This is not rocket science.”
He attributed the relegation of Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens, as well as the general decline in sports, to the appointment of incompetent individuals by the government.
"There are people who should not be anywhere near the sporting arena, yet they were appointed to pilot the affairs of our teams," he added.
"Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens used to be household names in Nigerian football.
"Sunshine Stars represented Nigeria twice at the continental level and reached the semi-finals.
"Sunshine Queens won the Federation Cup in 2015. Today, those same teams are nowhere to be found because mediocrity was placed above competence.
"They are now a shadow of their former selves."
He continued, “There was a time Sunshine Stars ranked among the top four teams in Africa. Where is our pride? What went wrong? Is it poor funding?
"The appointment of the wrong people? Whatever the reason, we are calling on the government to redefine its approach to the sports sector.”
“The sports arena should not be a place for rewarding political loyalists who has no experience in football management.
"Sports is a big business, if properly invested in and managed by the right people.”
“This is not a blame game, but a clarion call to the government to do the needful by reviving what once brought joy to the people of the state.
"As football stakeholders who have significantly contributed to the development of sports in Ondo State, we cannot fold our arms and watch our beloved teams decline without speaking the truth.”
"The government should, as a matter of urgency, complete the renovation of the Akure stadium and improve other stadia across the state."
"It is unheard of that Ondo State cannot boast of a befitting stadium.
There are no tracks for athletics, no equipment for other sports, yet we expect optimal performance."
Both former Supporters Club Chairman Oduyi Emmanuel and Udo Daniel urged the current government to appoint indigenous football administrators to manage the teams for a swift return to the elite league.
According to Emmanuel, "I was chairman when Sunshine Stars played in continental competitions twice. I was also there when the female team won the Federation Cup.
"We are appealing to the government to reposition our sports sector so we can regain our lost glory," he said.
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