Management of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side Plateau United have placed their first team players and coaches on “half-salary” as punishment for the club’s home loss to newly promoted Kada City on Wednesday.
Club’s general manager Pius Henwan who communicated the decision to their staff termed the loss as “unacceptable to the government and people of the (Plateau) state), and placed the players on a “no-work, no-pay” phenomenon.
The loss to Kada City meant that Plateau United have won just one out of their last seven league games, a sequence which has left them in the relegation zone ahead of their next league game away to Abia Warriors which Henwan has in mind.
“Henwan who expressed displeasure with the lacklustre performance of the team during the midweek tie noted that the measures will remain until the team gets the three points they lost at home from an away game.
“He further explained that for management to take them seriously, they must win their next match against Abia Warriors in Umuahia or at least a draw in order to recoup the lost points,” read a club statement on Friday.
Ironically, Wednesday’s game marked the return to the dugout of head coach Abdu Maikaba who had been away with Nigeria Under-20 side, the Flying Eagles in Niger in an assistant capacity to Paul Aigbogun. The former Akwa United boss however watched helplessly as his side lost to Sadiq Suleiman’s late effort.
The defeat also came on the team’s return to their home ground in Jos after serving a three-game banishment sentence away in Ilorin and Lafia following crowd troubles in their opening league game against FC Ifeanyiubah. The defeat was United’s home loss since promoting back to the NPFL at the start of 2016.
Their match day eleven game against Abia Warriors will be significant as it signals the end of the first half of the abridged league. Warriors and Plateau United have same number of points at this point although United have a game in hand.
