You only have to visit the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos, a stadium used by Nigeria Premier Football League side Sporting Lagos for their home games to witness the popular chant “Let’s go Sporting, Let’s go”. This chant is orchestrated by the stadium announcer, chorused by passionate fans, and accompanied by hundreds of Vuvuzelas at the stadium.
![Let's Go SPORTING from fans](https://sportsintel.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/sporting-lagos-300x200.jpg)
The chant is a wake-up call from the fans to the players to up the tempo on the pitch, get a goal, or create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the visiting teams and this is something that has been associated with Sporting Lagos from their time in the lower division (Nigeria National League) to the NPFL but result over the weekend brings the big question, where exactly are Sporting going?
THE CURRENT SITUATION
When Sporting Lagos gained promotion from the NNL to NPFL, it was a gigantic feat because the club was founded two years ago. They came with a lot of razzmatazz with a social media presence and a whole new community of football fans from the tech industry due to the owner’s roots. Still, for a club that set an objective of winning the league according to their Chairman, Godwin Enakhena, but after the 34 league games, the club is closer to getting relegated than having a top ten league finish.
Following last weekend’s goalless draw at home against Rangers International, Sporting Lagos find themselves in relegation waters with four games left to play, they are placed 17th on the log (the last relegation spot) and you will fear for the Noisy Lagosians status with the present reality.
Let’s Go SPORTING: HAVE THE CHANGES WORKED?
In the words of a popular Sports journalist in Nigeria, Olawale Adigun “If it is not working, sack the managers” and that seems to be the advice the Sporting Lagos hierarchy listened to when they sacked Coach Paul Offor in April and replaced him with Abdullahi Biffo.
In Paul Offor’s last game for the team, they got a one-nil victory over Sunshine Stars in Lagos, a win that catapulted them up to 14th position on the log and two points ahead of 17th-placed Bayelsa United but four games under Biffo, Sporting Lagos are 17th on the log with one win in his four games in charge (1 draw, 2 losses).
![](https://sportsintel.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/biffo-232x300.jpg)
In the four games Biffo has taken charge, results and performance have not shown that it has been a masterstroke from the management to sack Paul Offor. In Abdullahi Biffo’s first game, Sporting Lagos lost two-nil away at Katsina United and his first home game against Abia Warriors was a victory (4-2), a win that came with two second-half goals after the visitors had canceled out two first-half goals from the host.
The last two games for Sporting Lagos have been an eyesore with a four-one loss to former league champions Rivers United in Port Harcourt and an underwhelming draw against league leaders Rangers International last Sunday in Lagos.
These results have not gone down well with fans of the team with Sunday’s draw leading to tension between the fans and management of the club about their team position in the league standing and the prospect of facing relegation if results don’t improve in their last four league games.
“We go away we lose, we still can’t win here,” – Sporting Lagos fan cries out after dropping points to league leaders, Rangers.
With just 4 games to go, Sporting Lagos are in relegation battle.
Bayelsa United (A)
Plateau United (H)
Enyimba (H)
Shooting Stars (A)Do you see… pic.twitter.com/qWWVmEEN4s
— ???????????????????????? (@official_micolo) June 2, 2024
CAN THEY SURVIVE?
Sporting Lagos don’t have their safety destiny in their hands because they will still depend on teams above them to drop more points to avoid relegation while their fixtures list does not portray a light at the end of the tunnel for the Lagos-based club.
Sporting have the second-worst away result in the league behind only already relegated Gombe United and their last two away games come against fellow relegation battlers Bayelsa United this weekend and high-flying Shooting Stars in Ibadan. These games are sandwiched between home games against Plateau United and league-hopeful Enyimba in Lagos.
The team will need to get a maximum of six points in their two home games and hope for a point on the road to stay with a fighting chance of avoiding the drop but the possibility of that is hard to see. No team has garnered more points on the road than Enyimba (15), Shootings Stars have won their last 8 home games without conceding a goal while scoring 17 goals in the process, Bayelsa United have the fourth worst home record but they are unbeaten in their last five home games (4 wins, 1 draw). Only Enyimba and Rangers have won more away games than Plateau United (2).
Let’s Go SPORTING
I want Sporting Lagos to stay in the league, they are a breath of fresh air in this system, they bring the buzz and entertainment, they are a privately owned club with a big ambition and they are better off in the NPFL than the NNL but the hard work start now for them.
When Plateau United comes to visit next week and you hear that popular chant, “Let’s go Sporting, Let’s go”, it will be time to ask the most important question, Where exactly are Sporting going?
Only time will tell.
3 Comments
Beautiful piece!
This is a Wonderful Article, I enjoyed reading it. I hope Sporting’s Destination is not Relegation tho. ????????
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