Manager of Nigerian professional football league side Wikki Tourist, coach Usman Abdallah has announced his departure as the gaffer of the side citing interference from the club’s management.
According to reports gathered by 234football, the former Enyimba coach quits the Bauchi side after just 16 months in charge, following a poor run that has seen them take just eight points from their last ten league games.
Last week, following mounting pressure after some dismal performances, the Bauchi State Government set up a committee — with Abdallah as member — to help turn around the team’s fortunes.
However, the move failed to usher in a turnaround as the club lost 2-1 to Nasarawa United at home on Sunday.
In the aftermath of the disappointing defeat, Chairman, Douglas Balarabe, announced that salaries of players and officials will be cut by 50 per cent if they fail to beat neighbors Plateau United in Jos next Sunday — and that did not go down well with Abdallah.
A source close to Abdallah, in an exclusive chat with 234football, cited interference from the club’s management and poor leadership as reasons for the gaffer’s resignation.
“I can confirm that [Usman] Abdallah has resigned,” the source, who asked not to be mentioned, said.
He added: “All has not been well here [ at Wikki Tourists]. The coach hasn’t been allowed to do his job, even in recruiting players.
“When anything goes bad, they blame the coach. Abdallah cannot perform magic. Match bonuses have not been paid for a while. Players have had salaries slashed unnecessarily without any reason.
Traveling allowances of players and officials have been slashed, too.”
Wikki Tourists have been poor all season. They now sit 15th in the NPFL standings after earning just 24 points from 21 matches.
After a difficult first half, there were hopes that the fortunes of the club would change, but the opposite has been the case.
The Giant Elephants kicked off the second half of the season on an embarrassing note, losing 5-1 at Katsina United — and that was followed by Sunday’s home loss to Nasarawa United.
