Nigerian coach Nurudeen Aweroro has arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, to begin his new assignment with Sudanese giants Al-Hilal, following his recent departure from Nigeria Premier Football League side Shooting Stars.
Aweroro was appointed to take charge of Al-Hilal’s reserve team, with responsibilities also extending to the club’s youth development structure.
The coach arrived in Kigali on Friday evening, according to information available to our correspondent, and was received by Captain Samual Mergani, an administrative official of the reserve team.
His arrival marks the beginning of a new chapter for Aweroro, who left Shooting Stars earlier this month after guiding the Ibadan club to a third-place finish in the 2025/26 NPFL season.
That achievement secured Shooting Stars’ return to continental football for the first time in 27 years, with the club earning a place in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Shooting Stars confirmed on August 9 that it had reached a mutual agreement with Aweroro, team manager Tammy Tamuno and assistant coach Shakiru Lawal to end their respective contracts with immediate effect.
The club thanked the trio for their contributions and specifically acknowledged their role in securing the third-place finish and continental qualification.
Aweroro subsequently explained that he had anticipated his departure, saying the club’s management had concluded that he would not be able to meet the demands of leading the team into the new NPFL season and the CAF Confederation Cup.
The 2025/26 campaign was Aweroro’s only season in charge of Shooting Stars. According to the NPFL, he spent 280 days with the club and oversaw 38 league matches, recording 18 wins, six draws and 14 defeats.
His move to Shooting Stars followed an impressive spell with Ikorodu City. Aweroro initially became the Lagos club’s interim head coach in October 2024 and subsequently guided the newly promoted side to a fourth-place finish in their first NPFL campaign.
He was appointed Shooting Stars head coach in July 2025, replacing Gbenga Ogunbote. At the time, the club highlighted his previous experience with Remo Stars, MFM FC and Ikorodu City, as well as his reputation for tactical organisation and player development.
Aweroro now takes those experiences into a different technical environment with Al-Hilal, where his immediate focus will be on developing the club’s reserve and youth players and creating a pathway for promising talents to progress towards the senior team.
The assignment also gives the Nigerian tactician an opportunity to continue his work in player development while gaining experience outside the Nigerian domestic league.
