Spotlighting Coach Yusuf Alabi’s exceptional brilliance at Gombe United
By Barry Kalla
Gombe United’s relegation to the Nationwide League One (NLO) is one that is widely being perceived as a difficult pill to swallowp and a rude shock to all football lovers in the state who would have wished it was a bad dream that they should hastily awake from, especially in view of the pedigree of the club and its role in putting smiles on the faces of millions of passionate fans week in, week out.
To them, it is one prophesy they wished was never fulfilled as many football analysts in the state had earlier raised the alarm regarding the manner the club was being managed and handled administratively but the warning was ignored and today, Gombe United has now achieved the opposite of the mandate set for it by the state which is Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) ticket.
In the midst of all these, we must never forget the sacrifices that were made in spite of the club’s relegation. One of those sheer sacrifices is that of Coach Yusuf Salihu Alabi whose unmatchable commitment, diligence and true brilliance added value to Gombe United. Coach Alabi, as the Technical Adviser of the club invested a lot of technical know-how which could have paid off if he had enough time. The repairs and technical reforms gave Gombe United the pride of not getting relegated long before now.
Though the mandate of the club wasn’t met, but we must not fail to lavish our commendation where it is most needed and to Alabi, he deserves all the commendations in view of the state he met Gombe United and the impact he made within the short time available.
One of the beauties of life is that it maintains a balance, where every negative situation contains a hidden positive spark and without mincing words, Yusuf Alabi is that spark that must be celebrated for his exceptional efforts in building and rekindling hope at a time that the club was battling the worst performance in recent history.
Somehow, Alabi’s prowess came in good in terms of character building, professionalism, team unity, and rejigging the structural make-up of the team that produced some impressive results that repositioned the team and gave hope to numerous fans of Gombe United.
A quick look at the results, showed that on February 14, 2026 Jigawa Golden Stars defeated Gombe United 2-1; interestingly, though a defeat but it was the first time, Gombe United scored an away goal in months, prior to this match which was Alabi’s first on the job. The away goal was the hope the fans waited for in a long time. The next match was even a better outing as United beat visiting Bichi 2-1, before going to Kebbi to pick a point on the road with a goalless draw.
The other matches were a 1-1 draw with Yobe; 2-0 defeat away to Adamawa United and a 2-0 win at home against Ranchers on April 22, 2026. Analysis of the result under Alabi’s watch showed a departure from the norm of frequent points losses both at home and away.
Alabi further proved that his Confederation of African Football (CAF) B License is not a mistake by winning the state F.A Cup for Gombe United and adding more value to the history of the club.
A glance at Alabi’s coaching and sports certification showed that he obtained his Basic Certificate in football coaching in 2008; Modern Trend in Football Coaching 2009; Youth Football Coaching and Admin 2011; BFUT Level 4 Coaching License (FIFA Endorsed) 2012.
Others include CAF “C” License 2014; CAF “B” License 2017; Pro Football Management Master Class (PFMMC) 2020; Coach the Coaches Refresher Course (Ghana) 2021; IOC Sports Administrator Course 2023; CAF License Coach Educator 2025 and IOC Sports Manager Course 2025.
With such rich CV, he has worked with over 22 clubs across the country before joining Gombe United. Indeed his wealth of experience has helped fortified Gombe United but for time and other administrative ills, Alabi would have restored the glory of Gombe United.
This write-up is to show appreciation to Coach Yusuf Alabi regardless of the circumstances.
We are proud of what he has done and in spite of the relegation his professionalism is not in doubt because he has proven that he can be trusted with any team even in NPFL to deliver the goods.
