TheCable

Kano Pillars Football Club have added 22 new players to its squad ahead of the 2022/2023 Nigeria National League (NNL) season.

The club announced the recruitment in a statement released by Idris Malikawa, its media officer, on Wednesday in Kano.

Malikawa said the new players would join the 18 players the club retained from the 2021/2022 season.

He added that the recruits would go for medical screening before their final contractual agreement and registration.

“We had an open screening which ended recently, led by coach Evans Ogenyi, from that, we were able to get five young players from the feeder team,” the statement reads.

“We had 17 players from various clubs across the country to add to the 18 retained from the team of the past season.

“With this, I can state clearly that we will present a formidable team to compete favourably when the season starts.

“Any player found medically unfit would be dropped from the team for the forthcoming football season.”

Pillars were one of the four clubs — alongside Heartland, MFM FC, and Katsina United — relegated from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) last season.

The relegation of Pillars was confirmed after the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to uphold a three-point deduction penalty for violence.

The Sai Masu Gida boys had been penalised with a point deduction by the NFF disciplinary committee after Suraj Yahaya, Kano Pillars chairman, assaulted an assistant referee during his club’s game against Dakkada FC, earlier in the season.

Pillars finished 19th on the log, with 45 points and just three away from the safety zone.