How I lifted Yobe Desert stars from relegation to top 4 – Chairman
By Bala Dauda, Damaturu
Alhaji Mohammed Alkali Accama, the Executive Chairman of Yobe Desert Stars FC, said he resisted nepotism to lift the team from relegation spot to finish fourth in the 2023/2024 Nigeria National League (NNL) season.
Alkali Accama disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Damaturu.
He said when he emerged as chairman of the team toward the end of the season; it played 11 matches, won five, lost three and drew three.
“I achieved this feat by resisting nepotism and corruption that characterised this team before I took over.
“Players who were either not in form or simply not good enough for the team, were being fielded in matches due to ethnicity and other sentiments.
“ I immediately resisted pressure from the so- called godfathers of these incompetent players, and insisted that only those in good shape will play.
“ I also insisted that players who outlived our feeder team must go because you cannot be in a feeder team for 10 years and add any value to that team,” he said.
The chairman said he ensured that all outstanding backlogs of allowances for the team’s 35 registered players were settled to bring the team back to winning ways.
He said that Garba Lawal, a former Super Eagles winger, would chair a screening committee constituted to identify quality players to support the team.
Alkali Accama said the screening would be an open contest for all players to prove themselves as worthy recruits for the team.
The chairman thanked the state government for its unwavering support for the team, which resulted in the successes recorded.
He appealed to the government to hasten the renovation of the August 27 Stadium, Damaturu, to ease the team’s burden of travelling to Gashua for their home matches.
“ I am also appealing to the state government to purchase a new bus for the team as the old one broke down and we now travel by commercial buses,” he said.
