Shooting Stars Sporting Director Tobi Adepoju has explained the club’s decision to remain in Sousse ahead of Friday’s trip to Sfax, insisting the arrangement was deliberately designed to ensure maximum concentration and minimise distractions before their crucial CAF Confederation Cup return leg against CS Sfaxien.

Adepoju said the Oluyole Warriors will move to Sfax on Friday after using Sousse as their base for player concentration and a short training camp.

“Staying in Sousse for players’ concentration and short-camping, avoiding any form of antics in Sfax,” Adepoju said.

The decision comes after Shooting Stars secured a narrow but valuable 1-0 victory over CS Sfaxien in the first leg at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta on September 5.

Lucky Emmanuel scored the only goal of the encounter in the 25th minute, giving the Nigerian side an important advantage heading into the return fixture in Tunisia.  

The match was particularly significant for Shooting Stars as it marked their return to continental football after a 27-year absence. The Ibadan club’s previous appearance in African competition was in 1999.  

CS Sfaxien, however, increased the pressure after the interval in search of an equaliser, forcing Shooting Stars to defend for long periods. The Nigerian side held firm, with their goalkeeper making important saves to preserve the clean sheet and the slender advantage.  

Shooting Stars also had opportunities to extend their lead but could not convert them, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the second leg.

With only a one-goal cushion to defend in Sfax, Adepoju said the club was keen to ensure its preparations were not compromised.

The Sporting Director revealed that Shooting Stars had requested access to a natural-grass pitch in Sfax and were willing to pay for its use.

“We asked for a grass pitch as an option to train in Sfax; and we offered to pay,” he said.

“However, we were only given an artificial pitch.”

Adepoju contrasted the situation with the arrangements made for CS Sfaxien during the first leg in Abeokuta.

“However, in Abeokuta, we ensured they trained throughout their stay inside the matchday stadium,” he said.

According to the Shooting Stars official, the club identified natural-grass pitches at a training centre in Sfax which could have been used for their final preparation, particularly given that the team would only require access for one day.

“Understanding that it’s a grass pitch and we had only one-day access, there were grass pitches at the training centre in Sfax that we could use and pay for, but access was denied,” Adepoju stated.

Rather than allow the training arrangements to dictate their preparations, Shooting Stars had already developed an alternative plan by basing the squad in Sousse.

“We had already made our A-plan to stay in Sousse and expected such feedback if we stayed in Sfax,” Adepoju said.

The Oluyole Warriors will therefore complete their final preparations in Sousse before travelling to Sfax on Friday for the decisive return leg.

The 1-0 first-leg result means Shooting Stars have a slender advantage, but CS Sfaxien will have home support and 90 minutes to overturn the deficit.

For Shooting Stars, the objective will be to protect their advantage and secure passage to the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup, while maintaining the discipline and concentration that helped them keep a clean sheet in Abeokuta.

The return leg is scheduled for Sfax on Sunday, September 13, with the aggregate winner advancing to the second preliminary round.