Pressure is growing on Shooting Stars technical adviser Salisu Yusuf after the club’s difficult opening to the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League campaign.
The Oluyole Warriors were held to a 0-0 draw by Kano Pillars in a rearranged Matchday 3 fixture at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, on Wednesday.
The stalemate extended Shooting Stars’ poor run to just one victory in their past seven league matches. During that sequence, they have drawn twice and lost four times.
Their early struggles have been made worse by their elimination from the CAF Confederation Cup. The Ibadan club were knocked out in the first preliminary round by Tunisian side CS Sfaxien.
Shooting Stars took a 1-0 lead into the second leg after winning the opening match at their temporary home in Abeokuta. However, that advantage was overturned as CS Sfaxien won the return fixture 2-0.
The start under Yusuf is a sharp contrast to the club’s strong finish to the 2025/26 season. The Oluyole Warriors ended that campaign in third place, securing a continental qualification spot for the first time in more than two decades.
Yusuf, an experienced tactician, took over from Nurudeen Aweroro, who was controversially dismissed by the club only a few weeks before the new season began.
The change in management has now come under scrutiny from sections of the Shooting Stars support. After Wednesday’s goalless draw with Kano Pillars, some fans called for Yusuf to be removed and demanded Aweroro’s return.
The result also saw Kano Pillars claim their first point away to 3SC in nine years, although Shooting Stars remain focused on ending their own winless sequence and recovering momentum in the league.
Yusuf’s next opportunity to change the club’s fortunes will come this weekend, when his side travel to face Kun Khalifat FC in a Matchday 8 fixture.
Shooting Stars will be seeking an immediate improvement after failing to build on last season’s third-place finish and suffering an early continental exit. Further dropped points could increase the pressure on Yusuf, whose team have made an unsettled start both domestically and in Africa.