Taiwo Adelu
A Lagos-based sports journalist and NLO Match Commissioner, Sunday Akintoye, over the weekend was celebrated and commended by Ogun State football coaches after delivering a successful lecture at the coaching seminar put together by the Ado-Odo Ota Football Coaches Council.
Akintoye was invited by the council and spoke on ‘Strategies A Coach Must Adopt To Win A Crucial Match’ at the seminar attended by over 40 affiliate football coaches and observed by the representative of the Ogun State Football Coaches Association.
Speaking after the lecture, Leader of the Ado-Odo Ota Football Coaches Council, Akinlawon Akinola, expressed delight with the lecture handled by the two invited guests. He said the seminar was a huge success in terms of attendance and thanked the speakers for the job well done.
Akinola, popularly known as Hayfash, also thanked all his council members and the Ogun State Football Coaches Association under the leadership of Coach Victor Agbagu for their cooperation and necessary support before and during the coaching seminar.
“I deeply appreciate all our members for their cooperation and support. My special appreciation goes to our State Chairman,Coach Victor Agbagu and Training Officer,Dauda Jimmy Ibrahim for honouring us and I will not forget my able council secretary, Jonathan Okpara and other executive members for their support given to my administration since I was elected as council leader.
“To Mr Sunday Akintoye, our sports journalist and match commissioner, thank you for the insightful lecture. I also appreciate Referee Ayodeji Akintoye, General Secretary of the Nigeria Referees Association, Ado-Odo/Ota Society, for educating our coaches also on the laws of the game and new rules.
“To our former State Chairman of Ogun State NFCA, Olasehinde Bankole, I thank you for finding time out of your busy schedule to visit us and encourage us. Finally, let us put the knowledge gained today into practice, remain united, and continue to develop ourselves and our players. Thank you all for your presence and contributions. I pray we shall always move forward and never backwards. In Jesus name, “Akinola said.
During his lecture, Akintoye who started his journalism career with defunct The News Magazine and PMNews Newspaper based in Lagos explained that coaches should have a solid planning and preparation before embarking on any football competition.
According to him, poor planning and inadequate preparation can cost a team valuable points, particularly in high-pressure matches.
The Sports Editor,Indepdent News online publication, emphasised that without discipline, the strategy to win a match will come in futility and admonished football coaches and players to be disciplined on and off the pitch.
The guest speaker argued that a coach must ensure that players remain committed to the game plan,maintain their concentration and avoid unnecessary distraction.
Akintoye who has spent twenty years in Sports journalism further said constituency in training, tactical execution and adherence to instructions can help a team remain composed, particularly when faced with pressure and setbacks.
In his lecture, Akintoye advised the coaches to imbibe the spirit of winning mentality saying that era of developing players or team and losing matches is gone.
He admitted that academy coaches are expected to develop players and also reminded them not to concentrate on development of players alone and they should strive to have a winning mentality spirit at the back of their minds.
He however reminded the coaches during the lecture to manage match officials professionally and frowned over some coaches who form the habit of abusing or attacking the match officials during and after a match.
Akintoye was quoted in his lecture that “If a coach believes an officiating decision is unfair or biased, the appropriate response is to remain calm and use the established channels for complaints or protests. Concerns can be communicated respectfully to the match commissioner, referee assessor or relevant competition authority, “
Akintoye insisted that a coach who takes matters into one’s own hands can result in disciplinary action and distract the team from the match itself.
He however concluded by saying that there is no single formula for a winning a football match but noted that effective planning, tactical awareness, discipline, mental preparation, teamwork and professionalism can significantly improve a team’s readiness for a crucial encounter.
Akintoye was quoted in his lecture that “For a coach, the responsibility extends beyond choosing the starting eleven. It involves preparing the players physically and mentally, managing the technical team, responding to challenges and ensuring that every available advantage is used responsibly before and during the game, “he said.
Participating coaches who attended the seminar applauded the two speakers for the good job on their topics and commended the leadership of the council for organising a coaching seminar for the council members who are seeking for more knowledge about their coaching job.
Over fourth coaches who attended the seminar received a certificate of participation while some of them clamourimg for monthly or quarterly seminar for their members to equip them about modern coaching job.