-
Coach KENNEDY BOBOYE
Kennedy Boboye is a football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Akwa United and has managed several clubs in the Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL and is known for his tactical approach and ability to develop young talents.
He played as a striker for many Nigerian clubs and beyond. In 2017, he led Plateau to their first-ever NPFL title, also in 2021, he won the NPFL title for Akwa United with a record-breaking of 71 points. He has also managed clubs like Sunshine Stars and Abia Warriors. Boboye is respected for his attacking football philosophy and success in Nigerian club football.
A few weeks back in an interview on Lagos Talks 91.5FM, Coach Boboye spoke on how an accident he had on his way to Port Harcourt in 1996 cut short his football career. Below are the excerpts from the interview.
Coach, let’s start from the very beginning. I know you started with Sharks in the ’90s, and then you moved to Udoji United. Many young people remember Udoji; it was an excellent team, privately run. What was it like?
It was a good team back then in the ’90s because I played for them. I was in Sharks from 90 to 93 then in 94, I moved to Udoji Fc, 94 to 95 season. May his soul rest in peace; Coach Shaibu Amodu brought me back because in that era we were almost in the national team. So after the All African Games, I now travelled out because the All African Games was held in Zimbabwe in 1995. I travelled out to France to a second division called FC Paris. From FC Paris, I went to Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany for four years, then left for Abu Dhabi in Al Jazeera. I lived in Al Jazeera then came back to Maccabi Haifa from Al Jazeera. Took over from Yakubu Ayegbeni. Left Maccabi Haifa for Lebanon. From Lebanon, I went to South Africa, playing for Manning Rangers.
When we were discussing, you said you were almost on the plane to the Olympics in 1996, what happened that you didn’t make it again?
I had an accident. It happened that after the game we played with Egypt in Lagos, we won that game. Myself and Victor Ikpeba, were travelling back for the return leg in Egypt. When we came back, I was travelling to Port Harcourt, and a truck that was carrying tyres and other things ran into our car. So that was the accident that kept me out. After those incidents, I wasn’t able to, because of my injury, I thought it would heal but it didn’t, so I didn’t meet up for the subsequent games for the country and that was why I couldn’t travel with them.
Were you a starter because that was a star-studded squad?
Yeah, I started in three games before then. It was myself and Kanu as the supporting strikers.
What exactly went down at Sunshine Stars?
I was at the stadium with coach Salisu, he was asked to come and help Rivers United as the consultant. We were at the stadium watching a game between Rivers United and Abia Warriors. A call came into my phone and It was a Deputy Speaker of the IMO State House of Assembly. They said we want you to come to Owerri, I said it’s not possible. I have to go back home and discuss it with my family. Before I set out for a journey he said okay. I went back home, and the following day, I went to Owerri, after the discussion, he asked the secretary to prepare a contract that I had to start work immediately. When I started working with Heartland, they were in the 19th position and I brought them to 15th before the governor, then the number one citizen said they should reinstate the former coach back to the position. So when he said that, the next game was our last game, against Remo Stars, we won that game three in Owerri, it ended 3:1. So after that, I moved back to Port Harcourt, getting there, the chairman now, who was then the commissioner for sports called, that I should come to Ondo. The chairman of Ondo State football agency. Then the team were battling relegation, after discussing with over five members of the same agency, I gave them my terms, which specifically stated that I wouldn’t tolerate interference because I had worked there and I knew the terrain well. He accepted and promised not to, that we should talk about the financial accept and leave that one because he won’t interfere in any way, and that the money I was quoting is much. And I told them how much I wanted to take and how much they would pay me and how much they would pay if I took the team out of relegation, I mean my incentives if they don’t get relegated. After much deliberation, they accepted my terms and said I should start work. Barely a month in, he was removed from office. They now brought the new commissioner, who was the former commissioner for sports in Ondo State, Mr Saka Yusuf. So we now started working together, putting heads together. We were not able to, like, take away the team from relegation to start a new season. Before the season started, he was sworn in as the chairman of the Ondo State agency. So the team now has automatically pulled out from the Sports Commission in the state and is being handled solely by him. He got players and we started working. Everything was going well, all of a sudden, he brought in a player that, I should be playing him. This boy is the son of the governor’s younger brother; the governor is his uncle. So as we were training, I got to know because I asked, and I saw the way the boy was playing. He’s not that good enough to be in the team as a first-team player, but I have sympathy for him because I’ve seen other people who came from the same region as him, and the way they were behaving because they are related to the governor the way they conduct themselves and the way they behave because they are directly related to the governor, he doesn’t behave that way.
He was humble?
Very, very humble.
But he no sabi play?
Yes, he no sabi but he is a very humble boy. So I tried to encourage him by playing him. I keep telling others that look, this guy is related to the governor directly, but I like his behaviour, he doesn’t show that he has access to the governor, or he’s a direct person to the governor, the way others with that access are behaving. So I prepared to keep him. So that was how we kept him. He has been in the team for three years but I was the first person that picked him for his first match against Niger Tornados that season. In the last game we played, I started him and he played and ended the game for him to be in the team.
What position does he play?
He plays as a centre-back or Right back. So when we started, the Commissioner now said he must be starting, I said it’s not a must thing. I have to look at the team and check where I can play him, but you telling me it is a must, is a must, I don’t like that word. He said, because I know the governor is his boss, I said if you know that the governor is your boss, this is not a boss thing. If you want to help him, let the governor keep him in his office. Let him work there, but if he’s here, I will only play him when I think he can play, so if he’s injured, I will still bring him and come and play him in my team. It doesn’t work that way. And don’t be pushing for him alone, because you’re making him look somehow in the presence of other players. Because you’re telling other players that it is him and another 19 players to join him in travelling. What kind of a statement is that? You’ve made the team look like it’s only him we care for. So we started having that argument, you know, and from my side, I don’t look at him. I will just make my team and travel with my team. They will ask me, why is he not in the team. I will say to them that he’s not fit for the game. So the last time, he came to the training pitch, he called me out and said, coach, I don’t want to have a problem, I immediately said to him that he could not have a problem with me, because I would not have it. I will not let you have a problem with me, before that time comes, I will leave you. He asked if that was what am saying, I said yes, because you cannot impose a player on me. I told you from the beginning about interference, and you are the person who swore to me that you don’t do all those kinds of things. It’s not your job. Your own is just to manage the team, and you are not the coach and solely the coach to make selections. So why are you coming now to impose a player on me, he kept quiet. We were supposed to travel on Friday, to Owerri, on Thursday, which was the last training session for me because I made up my mind about what I wanted to do. I tried to inspire the players to get a result in the game and I said to them, look, if you come to win in this region that we are going for, if you don’t win, I will resign and I will leave the team. So I saw the faces of the players, they were all calm and they were saying, coach, why do you want to go? You know? So it was like, ok, let’s go and play because they wanted to get a result for me to stay. But I travelled to Owerri, after the training session, in the pre-match meeting, I told them, I said, do you guys remember what I told you guys on Thursday, that if you don’t win, it’s my last day? So before that, I had a friend as a journalist that is in London, Shina Oyedare is his name. He’s from Ondo and knows what’s happening, so I told him everything that I’m leaving these people. One person who even made me stay up that time is a very senior citizen and a very big stakeholder. I don’t want to mention his name. He is a serious guy in the football business now, even in the league, he was part of the person who said, look, I must stay and make sure this thing doesn’t go down because it’s our team. And I said, okay, no problem, sir. When I told him that I was facing big problems, he said, look, my advice to you is don’t allow these people to ridicule your name, if you know that you’re not ok with what they are doing just leave.
You won two NPFL titles with Plateau United and Akwa United, are there any other coaches that have done something similar?
I’m the only coach that has won two NPFL titles with two different clubs.
Coach, where are you from?
I am from Ondo town, but was born and bred in Port Harcourt, my full name is Kennedy Akinboboye. When we were growing up, coaches would tackle some of us not from the state and say they didn’t want to coach people from other states, because if they coached them, after some time, they would run away and go back to their state. So I removed the Akin and started bearing Boboye, Boboye is like their names too, and some areas in Bayelsa with same name that used to be Rivers before.
Coach, this your story, how do you deal with that now? Because there are loads of players from all around the world that want to play for one team?
When I started bearing that name, I think my dad wasn’t cool with it, and my relations from my dad’s area were angry, some of them came to ask why is my dad allowing me to have a name like this. We just talked over it, and I told them that this is what I’m using now to work, and my siblings, my sisters because I cannot be bearing Boboye and my sisters are bearing different names. Let me say this, my mom is from Rivers States. And in my mom’s area, we’ll use that in getting some scholarships with Chevron and some oil companies in my mom area. My mom was from Kalabari, the Riverine area, so my sisters used that to get scholarships. So that was how they started bearing Boboye in school and it became only my dad when he was alive, who was bearing Akinboboye before he passed on.
Since you changed your name to Boboye, did it help you while you were growing up with the other gender? Did it make you more acceptable to their family?
I won’t lie to you. I gained a lot as a football player in Rivers State. In the ’90s, I gained three brand new cars being given to Sharks FC players, Dolphin then before they were merged and now called Rivers United. I played for both teams. I played for Sharks and I played for Dolphins because I was among the best when I came back from South Africa. That was the 1994/95 season. I played for Dolphin FC and won the league and the FA Cup in the same year. I was part of that team, and Victor Ezeji won the golden boot. I came back from South Africa and joined that super team.
