Kano Pillars head coach, Ibrahim Musa has asserted that he has taken responsibility for their loss to Enugu Rangers in the final of the Aiteo Cup played in Asaba on Wednesday.
Musa, however, acknowledged that some of his players let him down in the second half after they failed to consolidate on their first-half performance to hold on to the lead and ensure that Sai Masu Gida win their historic first cup title this term.
Pillars let a 3-0 lead slip away before losing 4-2 on penalties and Musa told SportingLife.ng that he warned his players during the halftime break that they must not assume that the game had been won by the outcome of the first half result and that they must ensure that they double up their effort until the referee’s final whistle.
“It was a very surprising result to us all because I told my players during the halftime break that they must not relax because football is not decided by the outcome of the first half,” Musa told SportingLife.ng.
“I was not happy when we started having injury problems and I will say it was among the reasons we lost. I want to apologize to the Governor of Kano State, Umar Abdullahi Ganduje and the Deputy Governor for their support to the team. We are disappointed by the outcome of the game because it was our desire to win the competition but we must take everything that comes our way as the will of Allah.
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“I will say that I have taken responsibility for the loss as the head. It was a painful loss. We really desired to win the title but injuries to some of our players and loss of concentration aided rangers comeback and we have to move on.”
The head coach noted that he would take whatever decision taking by the owners of the club but that if he is in charge of the team next season he will try to make some changes to ensure that he is left with players who are really desirous to play for the team.