By Shooting Stars, popularly known as the Oluyole Warriors, will return to their home ground, the Lekan Salami Stadium, to host sixteenth-placed Kano Pillars following the lifting of the ban on the venue by the Nigeria Premier Football League.
On January 30, 2026, the NPFL barred the Ibadan club from using the stadium after the league management passed a vote of no confidence on the pitch, describing it as “unsuitable to host NPFL matches.”
In a letter addressed to the club’s chairman, NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, stated that Shooting Stars would no longer be permitted to play at the venue and directed the team to adopt either the MKO Abiola Stadium or the Mobolaji Johnson Arena as their temporary home ground.
After playing three matches away from Ibadan, Shooting Stars are now set to return to the Lekan Salami Stadium for their fixture against Kano Pillars on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
Earlier, Punch NG reported that the club commenced a full rehabilitation of the stadium facilities, including “intensified pitch maintenance, grass treatment, levelling, and regular watering.” The club also attributed the uneven surface of the pitch to “the dry season and harsh weather conditions.”
AfrikTimes observed that the club, via its official X handle, shared a series of graphic posts signalling its readiness to return to the stadium for the encounter.
Shooting Stars currently occupy eighth position on the NPFL table with 38 points from 26 matches.
