Boboye Sets High Standards for Bendel Insurance Ahead of New Season
The technical adviser wants greater discipline and consistency from his squad as the Benin Arsenals push for a top-three finish after narrowly missing out last term.
Want our football coverage to show up first?
Add FootballInNigeria as a preferred source and our stories get a "Preferred" badge in your Google Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode results.
Bendel Insurance technical adviser Kennedy Boboye has put his squad on notice, calling for higher standards across the board as pre-season work gets underway for the new NPFL campaign.
The Benin Arsenals finished last season in fifth position with 56 points, just missing out on a top three finish and a place in continental competition. With the club now setting a top three finish as its baseline target, Boboye has made clear his players will need to raise their level if that ambition is to be realistic.
Speaking to the NPFL’s official website as training resumed, Boboye welcomed his squad back in good health and stressed that indiscipline would not be tolerated this season, saying simply, “we must do better than we did last season.” He added that the group should expect to welcome new faces into camp in the coming days and urged the existing squad to integrate them quickly as work begins in earnest.
Boboye also tied performance expectations to the club’s off field commitments, noting that management has promised improved welfare for the squad this season. He argued that with those assurances in place, the players now owe both the club and its supporters better results and more attractive football on the pitch.
Did You Know?
- Bendel Insurance are nicknamed the Benin Arsenals and are based in Benin City, Edo State.
- The club finished fifth in the NPFL last season with 56 points.
- A top three finish typically earns qualification for CAF club competitions the following season.
- Kennedy Boboye has previously been involved in a publicised incident with match officials, for which the club issued a formal apology and caution.
- Bendel Insurance is one of the older clubs in Nigerian football, with a long history in the country’s top flight.
- The club’s pre-season preparations are running alongside those of several other NPFL sides, including Kano Pillars and Kwara United.
- The 2026/27 NPFL season is tentatively scheduled to begin in late August.
