Kada Stars male handball club of Kaduna on Tuesday defeated Plateau Vipers of Jos 23-22 on Match Day 6 of the ongoing 2021 Prudent Energy Handball Premier League in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the win was the Kaduna side’s second in the 11-team male category of the league holding at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
They won their first match with a walk-over against COAS, lost 19-33 to Safety Shooters in their second match and lost 15-26 to Kano Pillars in their third match.
The Kara Stars also lost 24-37 to Lagos Seasiders.
They led 13-12 after the game’s first half, but after their opponents rallied to equalise, they snatch back the momentum to eventually take the game at 23-22.
For the Plateau Vipers, the defeat marked their fourth loss in the league.
They had lost their opening match 18-22 against Safety Shooters, their second match 23-31 against Niger United and the third match was a walk-over against COAS.
They then lost 22-23 to the Confluence Stars in their fourth match.
Speaking after the match, the coach of Kada Queens, Habib Ahmed, told NAN that they were playing under stress.
He said they were still expecting their allowances to “kick start” their performance, even though they won the fifth game.
Ahmed said the situation had led to their accommodation in Abuja for the league being in great danger because of their bills not paid.
“The management of the stadium, where we have been putting up at the stadium’s hotel, have come to ask for their fees. But we have nothing to show.
“We won today’s match but we are still expecting the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in Kaduna, through the secretary, Yusuf Kaya, to come to our aid to help do justice by making things happen by paying the bills.
“We and the players are not finding things easier any longer in the league,in terms of bills.
“As it stands today, we are yet to pay the bills and they have accumulated. We needed his (Kaya) help to come to the rescue of the players.”
Ahmed added that he has been worried about the fact that he has daily been lying by assuring the players something was being worked out.
He however added that he was not sure he could continue with that.
” They wanted to eject us today, that we should not play the league again, after the technical meeting. But I still pleaded with them to please give us more time,” the coach said.
He said there was no hope for food, while the accommodation matter was shaky. “We are all running out of time, and I can only plead with the secretary to come to our aid.
“We are losing more concentration, and while our players in the previous matches were not alright, but in Tuesday’s game we played with hunger and we won. But we have no hope of tomorrow for the players’ feeding and accommodation.
“It was a good performance by my team against a team that was equally good,” he added.
Other male competition’s matches played on Tuesday showed Tojemarine Academy to a 27-34 loss to Lagos Seasiders 27-34.
Niger United on their own won a walk-over against COAS.
NAN reports that Kada Stars will now face Niger United on Wednesday while Plateau Vipers will play against Rima Strikers on Thursday.
Twenty-one teams, comprising 10 female and 11 male teams, are participating in the premier league.
The league, which began on Thursday, will end on Nov. 3.(NAN)
