By Asile Abel, Jos
With the consciousness that his set objectives are sacrosanct, the General Manager of Mighty Jets international FC of Jos, Ferdinand Mbum has reeled out some of his achievements at the club since his assumption of office.
The Club, renowned for its rich history as one of the few in the early days of Nigerian football to place the country on the world map since its inception in 1970, has steadily stamped its authority in the circles of modern football around the country.
“Talent development has been at the core of everything we’re doing right now and the results are already manifesting, so we’re not perturbed nor shaken at all”, Mr. Ferdinand told a team of reporters at his office in Jos.
“Four of our youngsters have currently been invited to the Golden Eaglets team as a result of their performances in what is just their first season”, he further said.
Mr. Mbum maintained that their mandate is for the Club to be self-sufficient and prove that the status quo can change by all means legitimately possible.
Determined to make clear his arguments, he opined that several scouts have been sounded from his first day in office, “Some of whom have documented a good number of our players and are monitoring their development with data-driven tools which I cannot reveal to you.”
Accordingly, those at the top echelon of football activities within the Club have worked with a roadmap and clear cut instructions about the need to prioritize game time for young prospects, hence the reason for their involvement in first team duties with a hybrid of a number of experienced faces to strike a balance in that regard.
For the Club’s chief, the young footballers have to be trusted, “Talent may be universal but opportunity is not, we have to believe them enough and hand them the opportunities they need to prove themselves” he added.
Commenting on his recent foreign trip to England, he revealed that it was solely in the interest of the Club as he had the opportunity to peach the idea of exporting players to clubs that partnerships have not been struck with them at the initial stage such as Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Leganese in Spain, which was added to the list of clubs that Mighty Jets Int’l FC hopes to do a lot with in Spain. All these he said were part of his agenda during the International Sports Convention held in the United Kingdom.
According to him “Our journey overseas was not for a tea party by any means as we also held a number of strategic business meetings and beneficial networking.
Already two of our players will travel for trials in top Spanish clubs in addition to other mentioned breakthroughs.”
He did not also stop applauding the Executive Governor of the state, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang for the free hand granted the management to operate without hindrance.
He reiterated that there is a close collaboration between the club’s Sporting Director and that of the state as they look to get the very best result moving forward.
While describing allegations of match-fixing against the club’s management as “baseless and unfounded”, he said the club will most likely initiate legal action against known persons who mischievously intend to peddle a narrative they know to be untrue.
