The Coach of Gombe United, Mohammed Babaganaru, has called out poor officiating as a reason why teams hardly get points away from home, platinumnewsng.com is reporting.
Gombe United suffered a 2-1 loss to Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan in matchday three of the Nigeria Premier Football League despite getting the lead early in the game. A brace from Malomo Taofeek in the second half ensured Gbenga Ogunbote side got the much needed win.
Speaking after the game Coach Babaganaru delved into the issue of the mentality of Nigerian players, explaining that when playing on home turf, they display fantastic performances. However, when playing away from home, challenges related to officiating affect their psychological state, making it difficult to perform at their best.
“The mentality of Nigeria players is an issue. When you see Nigeria players at home, they are fantastic. Away from home, probably because of the officiating they do not play well, psychologically you can’t play well”
The coach did not mince words when addressing the problem of officiating in Nigerian football.
“The officiating is poor. When you talk about officiating, they use it against you, but I will speak today. The referees are not helping the players. That’s why the away players do not give their best and avoid taking risks.”
On his team performance, he praised the team noting that the team is still new.
“I have not spent up to eight weeks at this team. I met only seven players at this club. Only three goalkeepers and four outfield players. This is a new team.” Babaganaru added
Gombe United have picked up only three points in their last three matches. They host Bendel Insurance in matchday four of the NPFL.
Photo Credit; Mike The Pundit on X