Sporting Lagos fans have been left divided over the sacking of head coach Paul Offor on Wednesday, fearing that it might lead to the relegation of the club from the Nigeria Premier Football League.
The club announced that they’re parting ways with Offor who guided the team to promotion to the topflight and won them their first-ever trophy when they lifted the Naija Super 8 Competition in 2023.
The management in a statement on their website revealed that the reason for the sack is as a result of poor performance.
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“On behalf of everyone at Sporting Lagos, the Club would like to express its gratitude to Coach Paul for his efforts and achievements during his time with the Club,” the club said in a statement on their official website.
“Coach Paul will forever have a place in Sporting Lagos history after leading us to our first-ever NPFL promotion and winning our first-ever piece of silverware — the Naija Super 8 Competition. The Club and fans alike will miss the energy and polish he brought to the touchline.
“After reviewing our performance so far this season, the Club believes it is the right time to make a change. Coach Paul will leave with his assistant coaches, Coach Micah Bello and Coach Edward Green. We are grateful for their time at Sporting Lagos.”
“The team will focus on remaining in the top flight with the final eight (8) matches of our inaugural season.”
The decision has divided the fans of the club. While some believe it is a good move as the club has had a poor run of form which includes picking just one point away from home this season, others fear it may destabilize the players and may cause them to relegate.
“This is a sign of seriousness and the board showing commitment. I’ve been asking for this long ago there needs to be an upgrade with the coach, in the whole of Lagos, you can get players that can play better than the guys he has put together, good luck Coach Paul, all the best,” Jimoh Kiwi wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Several fans, however, did not agree with Jimoh’s stance on the sacking of the coach. “This is not a nice move at all and not at this last lap stage of the NPFL. I hope this doesn’t further destabilize the team. This rumor had been on for a while with a lot of ****** comments from some factions of the team. Good luck Coach Offor you fought a good fight,” Inyama Kingsley wrote.
Babatunde James wrote, “The timing of this decision is questionable on all grounds. I understand the team needs to evolve to go to the next level and Coach Paul may not be the ideal candidate to achieve that, but why not wait till the end of the season to activate that? We’ll see how the team proceeds.”
