NPFL side Kano Pillars have recalled coach Ahmed Garba “Yaro Yaro” from suspension and redeployed him within the club’s coaching hierarchy, CompleteSports can exclusively report.
The former Nigeria international and 2003 CAF Champions League winner with Enyimba had been suspended for three months following a poor start to the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League campaign.
After serving his suspension, Kano Pillars management asked Yaro Yaro to resume duty on Monday, February 2, 2026, but in a new role as head coach of the club’s Youth Team.
His return comes after a challenging run for Pillars, who opened the season with inconsistent results that prompted the suspension of both Yaro Yaro and then technical adviser Evans Ogenyi earlier this season.
Yaro Yaro confirmed his recall, saying the club briefed him on the new assignment ahead of resuming work with the youth set-up. He replaces coach Garzali Muhammad, who was promoted to the senior team as assistant coach following the earlier suspensions.
Editorial
In Nigerian football’s often mercurial landscape, coaching changes and disciplinary actions are frequent fare but Ahmed Garba “Yaro Yaro’s” recall at Kano Pillars is a narrative richer in context than most. Here is a club rooted in tradition, one of the most celebrated names in domestic football, seeking equilibrium between past greatness and present necessity.
Yaro Yaro, a name resonant with Super Eagles heritage and continental glory, was suspended at a time when Pillars’ ambitions were colliding with performance realities. The club’s indifferent opening marked by wins, draws and defeats that fell short of expectations prompted management to act decisively, removing him and the then technical adviser in pursuit of rejuvenation.
Now, after three months away, his return in Youth Team leadership is emblematic of two intertwined truths in football that experience remains valuable, and that reinvention often begins where foundations are laid. Deploying him to nurture the next generation while the senior team continues under new stewardship is a nuanced move. It signals Pillars’ recognition that Yaro Yaro’s insights can still be harnessed, but in a role where long-term impact may outweigh immediate results.
This is not merely a reassignment it is an investment in the club’s future. For a team currently slogging through the NPFL’s unforgiving stretch, including heavy defeats such as the 2-0 loss to Enugu Rangers on Matchday 24, patience and development have become as crucial as tactical acumen.
Football is seldom kind to legacy without currency, yet it rewards those willing to adapt. Yaro Yaro’s journey back into the fold via the developmental route reflects both the club’s respect for his contributions and its pragmatic pursuit of stability. In coaching youth, he may well be shaping the leaders of Pillars’ next resurgence, bridging past glory with future promise.
Did You Know?
- Ahmed Garba “Yaro Yaro” won the 2003 CAF Champions League with Enyimba, one of the club’s most celebrated achievements.
- Kano Pillars’ suspension of Yaro Yaro earlier this season followed an opening NPFL run of two wins, two draws and four defeats, prompting management action.
- Before his coaching career, Yaro Yaro played in Denmark with Akademisk Boldklub, scoring 25 goals in 77 appearances.
- Kano Pillars were recently playing some of their home matches away from the Sani Abacha Stadium due to disciplinary sanctions, though the banishment was later reduced.
- Pillars currently sit near the relegation zone in the NPFL, illustrating the club’s struggles this season and the pressure on its technical staff.
