By Joan Nnenna Iwuchukwu
Aftermath rounding off the season with an emphatic twenty nine matches unbeaten with a federation Cup winner to their name. Bendel Insurance Chairman and Deputy Governor of Edo State has attributed the team success to hard work, good players management and discipline.
Speaking with Precisepost.ng, Hon Philip Shaibu praised the doggedness of the team and how he also was able to run the club with a low budget as to the usual higher budget to grind out results.
“Winning this trophy shows that our investment paid off and also what we want in a club. We are gradually getting it.
We rebranded Bendel Insurance four years ago. We were sure of what we wanted to achieve.
Before we rebranded Bendel Insurance. We send out a team to Liverpool, Emirates stadium and Manchester United to go and understudy how a professional club is being runned and they came back with their different positions and we were able to earnest them together to have our brand.
We met a Bendel Insurance that have over three hundred staffs. We have to take all those three hundred staffs dash them to Mr Governor. Brought in a new compacted management team of just fifteen members and started with it.
Then for the players we took almost half of the team off and brought in new players. Interesting we didn’t start with football, we started with seminars to teach the new players, new management and coaches what we want to achieve in Bendel Insurance. That took like one month without touching the ball. They were in the classroom, for them to know and understand what we want to achieve with Bendel Insurance.
Interestingly we have spent the least amount of money compared to when they were spending more. Before we took over Bendel Insurance, there was approval of two hundred million to three million like that. So when we reduce those people. Interestingly Bendel Insurance don’t spend more than One fifty million in a year and we were achieving results.
Before we came in, when they were receiving two to three hundred million. They were paying players fourty thousand and most times they were owed up to eighteen months salaries like that. But the three hundred and something staffs were having their salaries as at when due. But the players they were managing are not paid.
We now have to follow the NFF rules and NNL then, the least player was paid a hundred and fifty thousand naira from fourth thousand and they get their salaries on or before twenty fifth of every month and we never defaulted.
When we got promoted to NPFL we raised it to three hundred and fifty thousand naira for the least player and sailing of 1million to the highest paid, according to your performance.
Every month we evaluate each player. If you do well this month, you get a pay raise, when you drop in form we reduce your salary. So it is performance driven. But one other thing is that their kits and welfare is adequately taken care of. We did something unique. Any match that they are going for that will take more than four hours to get there, and there is an airport there they fly through and fro for that matches. So we spend far far less than what they use to spend.
The good news is that we have a good compacted management team that are passionate for results. Fortunately we were unbeaten in twenty nine games in the history of Nigeria Football.
Our Target for this season actually was to come in and consolidate in the league. But as God could have it we made it to Super Six and Federation Cup final and eventual winner. I thin, I will say Bendel Insurance have done well for themselves within a short period of time”. He concluded.
Insurance of Benin pip Rangers of Enugu. 1:0 to win this year’s Tingo Federation cup final to pick the remaining slot in the Confederation’s Cup.
