*Set to take on Asante Kotoko in CAF Champions League
Duro Ikhazuagbe
Champions of the 2019 AITEO Cup, Kano Pillars are to be honoured today in Kano at a reception put together by the Kano State Government.
Club sources hinted THISDAY last night that the players and officials are expected to be handsomely rewarded by the government after ending 66 years wait to win their first-ever FA Cup after so many near-misses.
Pillars defeated Niger Tornadoes 4-3 on penalties after regulation time ended 0-0 at the final played inside Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna a fortnight ago.
A year earlier, the Sai Masu Gida had lost the trophy in a bizarre manner to Enugu Rangers after leading the Flying Antelopes 3-0 at half time. Rangers came back strongly to level up scores and went ahead to smile away from the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.
But for making the dream of thousands of football loving people of Kano come true, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is believed to have lined up juicy package for the players and officials at the reception today.
Meanwhile, Kano Pillars players have reassured their fans that they will go past Ghana’s Asante Kotoko in a CAF Champions League qualifier this weekend in Kano.
Pillars will fly Nigeria’s flag in the competition after they finished as runners-up in the NPFL last season.
Kano Pillars rounded up their training stint in Kaduna ahead of Saturday’s Champions League clash against the experienced Ghanaian campaigners with coach Ibrahim A. Musa saying they are ready for the challenge ahead of them.
“After we won the AITEO Cup, we stayed back to camp in Kaduna. This was to make the players to fully concentrate on the task at hand so that they remain in good shape to face Asante Kotoko on Saturday,” the coach revealed to reporters on the day the team completed the camp in Kaduna.
Pillars played six test matches in Kaduna, winning four and losing two.
He said with the matches played helped the team to accommodate some new players they signed in the summer window.
