Nigeria Premier Football League side, Sporting Lagos, have sacked head coach Paul Offor and his technical crew, replacing him with former Kwara United gaffer Abdulahi Biffo for the remainder of the season.
Offor was sacked on Wednesday with eight games to go in the league as the club sit 11th in the table with 38 points from 30 games and just four points away from safety.
“On behalf of everyone at Sporting Lagos, the club would like to express its gratitude to coach Paul for his efforts and achievements during his time with the club,” Sporting Lagos announced via a statement on their website.
“Coach Paul will forever have a place in Sporting Lagos history after leading us to our first-ever NPFL promotion and winning our first-ever piece of silverware — the Naija Super 8. The club and fans alike will miss the energy and polish he brought to the touchline.
“After reviewing our performance so far this season, the club believes it is the right time to make a change.”
Offor’s sack comes after their hard-fought 1-0 win over Sunshine Stars at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Tuesday, which left their fans fuming over their poor performance in the game and some other home matches.
A Sporting Lagos official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to speak on the issue, tolf our correspondent that Biffo was now in charge of the NPFL newcomers.
“Yes, coach Paul and his crew have indeed been relieved of their duties and the new man coming is Biffo with his assistant as well,” our source said.
“If you are looking for one thousand ways to die, one of it is to support Sporting Lagos. How in the world would we be at home and opponents will be pressing us like our lives are about to leave us? You can imagine we were leading 1-0 and we had our hearts in our mouths. We were practically praying that the referee should end the game,” one of the fans said on Tuesday via Sporting Theory.
Sporting have won 10 games this season, drawing two and losing 12 in the process.
After their 1-1 draw against Bayelsa United last December, the gaffer admitted that his position was under threat. “If your team is not on top of the table, the owner of the team and management can make decisions,” Offor told Sporting Theory, a fan page on X.
“My job here is to perform and if I don’t perform, I don’t think I’m special, people have faced the sack because of performance.
“If my position being under threat means that the club will do well, I don’t have a problem with that. The most important thing is that what we have done with this club, I don’t want it to go to waste.”
The 35-year-old guided Sporting Lagos from the Nigeria National League to the NPFL last year, a few months after joining them from Cotonou-based Premier League club, Djeffa FC. Offor had also worked with Warri Wolves in the NNL.
He spent a year and one month in charge at the Sporting Lagos.
