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By Abiodun Adewale.
Kwara United head coach Azeez Mohammed is unconvinced about the chances of his team going into the 2022/23 Nigerian Professional Football League season at the adopted Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan as the league kicks-off this weekend.
The Kwara stadium failed to meet the basic club licensing requirements, with the pitch undergoing renovation, forcing hence the club to adopt the renovated Ibadan stadium as their home ground for the 2023 season.
In the light of preparations for the season, the former Hilal Al Fasher of Sudan coach expressed his desire to play in front of their home fans.
“Every club would love to play in front of their fans, even Barcelona will always want to play at Camp Nou,” the coach stated.
“The support from the fans is always a plus to every team, but we just have to adjust and face the reality.”
It’s not the first time Kwara United are playing home games away from home under coach Mohammed. He was in charge during the team’s CAF Confederation Cup preliminaries against RS Berkane at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos, and he was blown away by the amount of support the team enjoyed from Lagos fans, telling our correspondent in October, “The atmosphere in Lagos is not far from what we get in Ilorin. We are happy we are getting the results. The pitch is good and the fans make it better.”
The Harmony Boys kick off their campaign against Gombe United on Sunday in Ibadan, as they hope to navigate among nine other teams in their group to qualify for the Super Six and secure a continental ticket again.
“If you want to be a champion you have to face and beat anybody that comes your way and I think with the mentality from the boys they are ready to fight to get the needed results.
“We are prepared, we’ve played some friendly matches. The only thing we are working on now is how to get the players to play together and we are doing that so we are ready for the season.
Kwara United are drawn in Group A of the abridged league along with Nasarawa United, Plateau United, Gombe United, El Kanemi Warriors, Enyimba International, Akwa United, Bendel Insurance, Shooting Stars, and Remo Stars.