‘Why we want Bendel Insurance back in Premiership’

As Bendel Insurance football club of Benin meets Crown FC of Ogbomosho football club today in the Nigerian National league, Edo state government has said it was determined to ensure the team return to the elite division.

Today’s match marks the second of the three-match ultimatum given the club by the state government to win or risk sanction.The Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu shortly after training with the club before their departure for the match said the state government was also determined to use sports to boost the economy of the state.

He said the reason why the government is doing everything humanly possible to ensure the club secure promotion to the elite division at the end current league season was to boost the economy of the state through sports

“We have very good players but we need to have more concentration for us to be winning our away matches. To me, if we can win some of our away matches, then securing promotion will not be far from us.

“The governor is very keen in making them go back to the premier league and I think our challenge is to win away matches and we are doing everything possible to enable them do that. We have a good team no doubt about that and in our away matches, people call to say Insurance is very good to lose those matches and if people call to say that, it means something is wrong with officiating.

But presently, the last match, I think it was hard luck because the officiating was good. So I will say we just need concentration but as far as the state government is concerned, we are determined to make them go back to the premiership and also we are working hard to ensure that they also do well in the FA Cup because we want to do well and bring continental matches to Edo land.

“When we have continental matches here, the economy will grow, there will be boost in the economy of this area. If we hear a foreign club is coming to play match here in Ogbemudia stadium, people from neighboring countries will come and people selling around here will make more money, hotels will make more money so the governor is in making our economy not only through infrastructure but also through sports and that is why we are determined to make Insurance come back to the premiership.”