I am deeply hurt by Kano Pillars lack of respect
Nasarawa United returnee, Adamu Hassan has said his former club, Kano Pillars didn’t give him the respect he deserves. In this interview with Trust Sports, the former Kwara United striker spoke on how he was deliberately denied pyg playing time in Pillars
Why did you leave Kano Pillars to return to Nasarawa United? The reason is simple. For no good reason, I was denied playing time in Kano Pillars. I would have left the club before now, but I stayed back to complete my contract so that I will become a free player. I didn’t want another club to clear me from Kano Pillars.
What informed your choice of Nasarawa United?
Nasarawa United was not my initial choice. Even when I was in Pillars, I was in discussion with Lobi Stars. But on second thought, I realised that in Lobi Stars I will meet experienced strikers and it might take time for me to catch up because I was not playing regularly in Pillars. They might not be patient with me. I then settled for Nasarawa United because I believe they will give me time to recover my form. Don’t forget there is no place like home.
So will it be right to say you were forced out of Kano Pillars?
That won’t be far from the truth because of the way they treated me. Pillars didn’t show me enough respect. I feel bad that I was not given the opportunity to play. Anytime I played, I contributed my quota to the success of the club yet it changed nothing.
Did you at any time discuss your ordeal with the management of the club?
The truth of the matter is that on at least three occasions, I asked the coach to tell me why he was not playing me. He didn’t give me any good reason. He simply said no problem so I realised that he simply didn’t want to give me the chance to play. Some of the management committees knew what was happening but there was nothing they could do. In Pillars, if the majority are against you, there is nothing you can do. No matter how good you are, you will never play.
You must be feeling bad that your experience didn’t count in Pillars....
I want to say that most clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League don’t have respect for experience. If you go round, you will discover that the clubs are dominated by inexperienced players. The experienced ones are no longer interested in the local league. They are tired of the NPFL. Almost everyone wants to play abroad where there is better organisation. Honestly, it is only in Enyimba, Rivers United, Rangers and Lobi Stars that you can still find experienced players. The rest prefer inexperienced players to those who are experienced. Kano Pillars used to have experienced players but if you go there today, you will see small boys who lack experience. Some have not played up to three or four seasons in the NPFL. At the moment, there were less than six experienced players in Kano Pillars. Imagine boys who called me ‘senior man’ were invited for negotiation and nobody called me. How do you want the small boys to respect me?. I felt so humiliated. When that happened, I packed my things and left Kano quietly. And since I left, nobody has called to find out what I am doing. Even Coach Ahmed Yaro Yaro who convinced me to go back to Pillars has not called me. I feel really disappointed.
Would you accept another offer to play for Kano Pillars?
To be honest, it will be hard for me to go back to Kano Pillars. It will not be in my best interest to go back. Like I said earlier, if the coach does not like you or the majority of the people in the club don’t like you, you will never play. Pillars didn’t accord me the respect that should be given to me and it hurts. But I am not saying I will never play for the club again. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.
With all these, do you hold any grudge against anyone in the club?
I bear no grudge against anyone. Kano Pillars is my darling club. They played a significant role in my career. The club brought me to limelight so I will forever be grateful. But they need to change the way they do certain things.
What is your advice to those still playing for the club?
I advise them not to go to sleep thinking all is well. What has happened to me can happen to another person tomorrow. I also want to advise the management of Kano Pillars to be more united. Lack of unity is a major setback for the club. Pillars FC is one of the most motivated clubs in the country, but they are not achieving much because they are not united. Players scramble to play for Pillars because of regular payment of salaries but when they get in there, they are most times frustrated due to some of the problems I mentioned earlier. Outsiders won’t understand what I am saying.
Will you encourage other players to join Kano Pillars?
I will because I am still part of the club. As we speak, I have many friends in the club. It is not everyone that didn’t like me. Secondly, I don’t think there is another club in the NPFL that pays salaries as regularly as Kano Pillars. When I was in Pillars, I was never owed for even a month. Once it is 28-29 of every month, everybody is paid. The government and people of Kano state love Kano Pillars but lack of unity is killing the club.