After two weeks old in the CAF Confederation Cup, debutants, Remo Stars came, saw and could not conquer. Such is the story sometimes of a soldier who goes to the battlefield for the first time.
How it played out
History was about to be made after a one all draw at Rabat, Morocco against AS FAR and expectations were high for the team from Ogun State to make the next round especially with the home advantage in the offing.
Then came the D-Day, the second leg in their beautiful Stadium with the media hype and a revelation of a team that knows what it wanted, but the painful happened; they lost.
A bitter pill to swallow
Many Nigeria football fans got disappointed and were left a bitter taste in the mouths. Yes, four teams in the continental competitions and three progressing to the next round should be a good scorecard, but the soft spot for the Sky Blue Team was different.
Their whole package, programme and marketing had endeared fans to them and those things many didn't want to go in a hurry especially in the Africa space.
Unfortunately, it happened and it's time everyone moved on, especially the club. It's time the club showed the way for others to move on.
Way forward
No one likes failure, but it has been said that failure can be stepping stones to greatness. So, can the feat achieved be built upon in the future?
For a team that was founded in 2010 and rose from the lower ranks of Nigeria club football to the top echelon of Nigeria club football in 2016, got relegated in 2018, came back in 2021 and finished third in the log of the just concluded NPFL season and made it to the first round of the Confederation Cup, a lot can be celebrated.
The management needs to sustain this momentum by keeping the coaching and playing staff for continuity seek. One or two brilliant additions could be made for depth.
One of the undoing of the club was experience in the continent and keeping these players with the addition of experienced legs could make them better.
AS FAR showed experience, played a more tactical game than Remo Stars. The Moroccan side looked for a goal they knew could turn the tide, got it and played the victim game and wasted time to achieve their goal.
Friendlies ahead of the season and major tournaments (other things being equal) should be organised for the team as they match on to greatness.
Besides, the standard must not drop, rather it should be made better. The branding, promotion, marketing and merchandising sides of the club should be maintained and approved on.
This team looks set for greatness with the present arrangements and players if this time of the club is taking as a learning curve to be worked on.