Kano Pillars Football Club is a Nigerian professional football club based in Kano, North Western part of Nigeria. They play in the first tier division in Nigerian football, the Nigeria Professional Football League. Their home stadium is Sani Abacha Stadium. Kano Pillars FC was founded in 1990, the year the professional association football league started in Nigeria. It was an amalgamation of three amateur clubs in Kano State.

Kano Pillars
Kano Pillars F.C. logo
Full nameKano Pillars Football Club
Nickname(s)Sai Masu Gida
Founded1990; 34 years ago (1990)
GroundSani Abacha Stadium
Kano
Capacity16,000[1]
ChairmanAlhaji Babangida Umar Little
ManagerCoach Abdu Maikaba
LeagueNigeria Premier Football League
2022–23Nigeria National League, (promoted)

History edit

Founded in 1990, by Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, former chairman of Nigeria Football Association and former sports commissioner of Kano, from the combination of WRECA FC, Kano Golden Stars and Bank of the North FC, Kano Pillars achieved outstanding success by winning the 2007–08 Nigerian Premier League. Kano Pillars produced players like Abiodun Baruwa who has since played for Swiss, Austrian, Welsh and British Clubs and Sani Kaita who later plays for Sparta Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Another Prominent player is Ahmed Garba 'Yaro Yaro' who later plays for AB in Denmark and a notable player from Kano Pillars FC is Ahmed Musa who played for Leicester City in the English Premier league after joining from CSKA Moscow. It was registered as a limited liability company with the Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigeria, and then registered with the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) as a professional football club. The Kano Pillars drew an average home league attendance of 10,000 in the 2016 league season.[citation needed]

In the 2020/2021 NPFL season, Kano Pillars were fined a whopping sum of ₦7,500,000.00 for failing to follow the orders of the LMC and NFF, which prohibited fans from viewing live games in the stadium. Fans disrupted a top table clash between Akwa United and Kano Pillars. The game ended 0-0 after it was concluded the following day.[2]

They were relegated from NPFL on 16 July 2022 following the confirmation of a verdict against them for the deduction of 3 points, despite an appeal which the NFF committee disregarded against their complaint. The verdict on them was a penalty for what their former chairman did to match officials in their encounter with Dakkada FC[3]

2009 Champions League edit

They are also nicknamed "Ahly Killers" as they scored 2 magnificent goals in Egypt and drew with Al Ahly Cairo in Egypt 2–2 and 1–1 in Nigeria, so the Ahly Killers went to the Group stage in the African Champions League on the away goals rule. They made it to the semi-finals before being eliminated against fellow Nigerian team Heartland.

Achievements edit

Champions (4): 2007–08, 2011–12, 2013, 2014.
Runners-up (1): 2009–10.
Winners (2): 2019, 1953
Runners-up (2): 1991, 2018.
  • Nigerian super cup. 1.winners 2008.
  • "'Nigerian super four"'. (runners up)2.


Performance in CAF competitions edit

 
Kano Pillars arrival to Ahmadu Bello Stadium for a friendly match.
2009 – Semi-finals
2011 – First Round
2013 – First Round
2014 – Preliminary Round
2015 – First Round
2020 – Preliminary Round

Current players edit

As of 8 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   GHA Ibrahim Iddrisu
2 DF   NGA Ali Abdullahi
3 DF   NGA Ismaila Nasir
4 MF   NGA Usman Maidubuji
5 DF   NGA Abdullahi Musa
6 MF   NGA Suleiman Idris
8 MF   NGA Yusuf Maigoro
9 FW   NGA Auwalu Ali Malam
10 MF   NGA Rabiu Ali (Captain)
11 FW   NGA Mustapha Umar
12 MF   NGA Aminu Mohammed
14 DF   NGA Ibrahim Abubakar
16 FW   NGA Mustapha Salisu
18 MF   NGA Sani Mubarak
19 FW   NGA Ibrahim Mustapha
20 FW   NGA Ibrahim Abdullahi
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 FW   NGA Muhammad Yakubu
23 DF   NGA Sani Faisal
24 MF   NGA Aminu Sani
25 MF   NGA Joshua Dua
26 DF   NGA Habibu Yakubu
27 DF   NGA Ibrahim Nura
28 FW   NGA Yusuf Abdullahi
29 MF   NGA Mubarak Lawan
30 DF   NGA Fahad Usman
31 GK   NGA Mohammed Galadima
33 GK   NGA Muttaka Musa
34 DF   NGA Attairu Mushinu
36 MF   NGA Muhammed Usman
38 FW   NGA Umar Shehu
40 FW   NGA Abba Adam

Staff edit

Head Coach/Technical Adviser
Chairman
  • Babangida Umar Little
general manager
  • Umar Babangida (Little)
General Coordinator
  • Salisu Yaro
Kit Manager
  • Habibu Zubair Abubakar
Marketing Manager
  •  
    Kano Pillars transportation car.
    Sani Lawal Mohammed

Notable coaches edit

Salisu Yusuf Okey Emordi Evans Ogenyi

Notable players edit

References edit

  1. ^ "BBC News Online | Africa | Sport | Cup of Nations | Venue Guide | Kano". Archived from the original on 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  2. ^ "LMC fines Pillars N7.5m over fans violence". Punch Newspapers. 2021-06-14. Archived from the original on 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  3. ^ "Pillars relegated after losing appeal (Goal.com)". Archived from the original on 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-18.

External links edit