Stanley Eguma prides himself on making Rivers United the 18th-best club in Africa, as the 54-year-old laments his sudden removal from his position by the club management on Thursday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
In a lengthy phone chat with our reporter on Friday, the gentle coach stated that the club management had no grounds to have requested him to step aside due to poor results, and mentioned that he had done his best to help the club qualify for continental competitions in the past five years.
He said, “I was requested to step aside by the management because they believe the results are not positive. We are 13th in the table with some pending matches due to our participation in the CAF Confederation Cup.
“We have been consistently playing on the continent for the last four or five years. Rivers United ranks as the 18th-best club in Africa. I gave my best for the club and would have continued to perform better, but since the management disagrees, I had to move on.
“I don’t have any immediate plans. I will consider my next move after taking a break. I also need to spend more time with my family.”
Eguma was fired immediately after Rivers United lost 2-1 to the to the Remo Stars in a rescheduled fixture at Ikenne, Ogun State, on Sunday, having been mandated by the club to win the game against the Sky Blue Stars.
His assistant, Evan Ogenyi, took charge of the team in the 0-0 draw against Kwara United on Thursday.
Nicknamed ‘Capelo’, Eguma led the club to the 2021 NPFL title win and also steered the Pride of Rivers to a second-place finish in the 2016 domestic top flight, their first in the NPFL after sponsors, Rivers State Government merged Sharks FC and Dolphins FC to form what’s today known as Rivers United FC.