Abia Warriors head coach, Bethel Orji, attributed his side’s defeat to El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri in the 2024 President Federation Cup final to fatigue, www.aclsports.com reports.
On Saturday, the Umuahia side lost 2-0 to the Desert Warriors courtesy of Nasiru Salihu’s brace at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena. The Borno side claimed their third triumph in the competition following the previous achievements in 1991 and 1992.
In his post-match reaction, Orji claimed that their defeat in the encounter was mostly due to exhaustion which led to his side’s poor performance on the afternoon.
“The final was a Warriors game in which one must emerge as champion,” he began to pressmen after the contest.
“It was regrettable that, particularly in the first half, things did not turn out as planned. We paid a heavy price since both our possession and our footing were incorrect. Not because El-Kanemi saw our films, but rather because we didn’t do it well, we had a rather poor game.
“It may be because the players were carried away with the atmosphere of playing in the finals, but also we did not play to our optimum.’’
On his side’s preparation for the final, Orji also said that his players did not have enough rest due to their frequent travel.
“In the past one month, we have been on the road playing our league matches and trying to survive relegation, and also playing in the FA Cup. Thank God that we survived relegation to the 10th position to face the FA Cup, but towards the final, we had a terrible journey around the country,” Orji concluded.
By the win, Elkanemi Warriors, who recently gained promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League, will fly the flag of Nigeria in the CAF Confederation Cup for next season.
