Sikiru Olatunbosun, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) Football Club of Lagos forward, in this interview with Chibuike Chukwu, highlighted the importance of the just ended season to him and the Odukoya Boys, saying that it was a fulfilled one. He also talked of what it meant playing in the domestic league, the MFM’s CAF Champions League ticket, Super Eagles qualification for the World Cup, the choice of Ikechukwu Ezenwa, a home-base goalkeeper, in the national team’s last three qualifiers and his plans to play abroad, among other issues. Excerpts;
How will you rate the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) last season?
It was a very good season for me and the rest of the team. Placing second was not easy so I will say that it was a successful one for the MFM family. You know that the season was a very tough one and so many clubs fought endlessly to outdo one another either at the top or down the table and it was the same with us. Is it in terms of winning and getting good results, especially in away matches? Honestly, last season was a good one for me. On a general level, last season was far better than the other ones because officiating was quite better compared to before. I know that no two seasons are the same but I think we still have to thank LMC for improving on the other seasons. I am not saying that there were no issues but it was an improvement.
Generally, can you say that MFM are fulfilled and achieved their target after placing second and earning the CAF Champions League slot?
Like I said earlier, it was a fulfilled season for all of us at the MFM. We drew a lot of motivations from the coaching crew and the management. We fought for the league title till the end of the season so I think we did a lot to finish second and I have to thank the management of the club as well as the coach for their motivations and encouragements which lifted the team. It was an exciting season for the club and we thank God for that. We will now continue to prepare for the next season and also the continental football.
I recently had a chat with a player of Nasarawa United, who said that it takes the Grace of God to succeed in the Nigerian league. Do you agree?
Playing in the Nigerian league? Yes I agree because truly it takes God’s grace to succeed here. But then, it is now left for every player to adapt to the condition of the league. This is because when you are playing here you don’t know where it will take you and the next step you may make. Playing here may be stressful but it can be an avenue to greater things in one’s career; as difficult as it might be, we have to adapt to it. Every player has a plan for greater things and we must start from somewhere. That is why I am saying that we must adapt to the conditions of the league and see where it takes us. We have to make success of every place that we go and I think that should be the mindset of players in the league.
But there are instances where some players have prematurely retired from the game over minor injuries; are you in any way not bothered over none insurance policy for players?
If I say I am not bothered, then I am lying because that is the standard everywhere. There is no league in the whole world without insurance for players. But like I answered you before, we have to try so much to adapt to the league and pray to remain injury-free. We have to thank God for keeping us and protecting us in the league. That is why I will always say that in every match, there should be an ambulance in the cases of emergencies because until a match ends, nobody knows what is really going to happen in terms of injuries. Insurance is very necessary for the players to know that they are safe in the event of injuries that can threaten their career. So I am bothered just like many other league players will admit but as I said earlier, we just have to be giving thanks to God for His protection over us.
What then do you think is the way forward for the domestic league that has thrown up so many stars?
It is left for the authorities and the league organisers to look at areas of improvement and do something about it. You know I play in the league and may not say so much in this regard.
MFM will be making their debut in the CAF Champions League; is there any kind of target set to the team by the management?
Such target will definitely not be made now because we have not even started the preparation. I don’t yet know the plans so it is too early to set a target for the club. That is not saying that we are not hoping to do well; we will try our best but for now, no target of any kind until we start preparations fully and I don’t even know the training schedule of the coach.
In the course of last season, you scored a goal that won a CNN award. What does the award mean to your career and did you expect that it will win the award?
It means a lot to my career; it means a lot to the club, to the players and to the coaches and the management because that was the first time a Nigerian league goal was so rewarded. We thank God that the match was live on television otherwise how could they have seen it. The award has brought a lot of things to my career and my life, and it has also projected me. This is why everything should be done to always ensure that our league matches are on television because such goals will still be scored; how could they have even known that I scored that goal if the match was not televised? I thank God because I was not expecting that the goal will be that valued because as a striker, I only aimed to do my work and that was just what I did and the rest came thereafter.
What went through your mind the moment you got the pass from your teammates that resulted to that goal?
Nothing special went through my mind other than to finish the move. This is also because we have come to understand ourselves much. Immediately I got the pass because I was well positioned, I target the post in order to score a goal because we have been having so many chances unconverted and it happened. At that moment, a forward will only aim to score and not what will come after the goal. When in a situation where a ball is passed to you as a striker, all that you will think is to score. So nothing special was going through my mind that moment other than to score a goal and thank God I did just that.
In our earlier discussion, you talked of several clubs from abroad making inquiries about you; so how soon are we seeing Olatunbosun leaving Nigerian league for a club overseas?
It may be soon or it may not be but one thing is very sure, I will certainly further my career by God’s grace. I have to wait for my time because everything happens with time. I am not rushing into clubs abroad but I will wait for the right time and the right offer to make a move because it is all about my career and future.
Are you in anyway bothered that despite your form at MFM, especially in the just ended season, Super Eagles handlers have not looked your way?
I am not bothered because everything has to do with time. God set time for everything and in football; anybody can be called up at any time. I am someone that believes so much in time and season and when it is the right time, nobody will stop one’s movement. It is the dream of every player to play for the national team and I know that I can fit into the team, but like I said earlier on, everything has to do with time because even God has time for everything that will happen in a man’s life. I think I am not in any way bothered; besides, I have years ahead of me in this game. The most important thing is for me to keep remaining in form and shape and playing very well. Nobody will stop me from representing my country when the time comes, so I am not bothered.
Super Eagles just qualified for the World Cup even with one match remaining in the qualifiers; what do you have to say about the feat?
It was a very good one for the players and the entire country as a whole. This kind of qualification with one match to go is very strange to us and also very good as well. It shows the kind of commitment the players and the coaches showed in the qualifiers and also showed the true Nigerian spirit. If I tell you that I am not happy, I will be lying because all Nigerians are very happy for the qualification, especially in difficult matches like the ones against Cameroon. They won it for the country and we are all praying for a good outing at the World Cup proper. The Super Eagles did all of us proud and I say congratulations to the entire team.
Coach Gernot Rohr trusted homeboy, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, in the last three qualifiers; what does it mean to you as a player in the domestic league?
I thank the coach for giving the home base goalkeeper the chance. That is one thing I thank him very much and it shows that we still have dependable players in the league. You can just look at the confidence the goalkeeper showed, especially in the matches against Cameroon and the last one. The choice of Ezenwa, to me, justified the local league and showed that we can still make the team. It is just about waiting for one’s time for that to happen. It was not easy seen the goalkeeper manning the post in such high-profile matches, which were watched even beyond Nigeria. Another thing is that Ezenwa justified his inclusion in the squad through his performances in the season.
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