What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at El-Kanemi Warriors can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El-Kanemi Warriors, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” El-Kanemi Warriors have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The deal that would have taken Zakka John to Kun Khalifat has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to El-Kanemi Warriors with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
The shirt still fits. Jake Barbarouses is back at El-Kanemi Warriors, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at El-Kanemi Warriors, and 1 appearances in 10 say he has earned the hearing.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El-Kanemi Warriors can pretend not to have heard.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at El-Kanemi Warriors, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
“I did not go to Alashkert to sit and watch. I want to come back to El-Kanemi Warriors and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
$2.1M is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.
“I did not go to Ashanti Gold to sit and watch. I want to come back to El-Kanemi Warriors and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. El-Kanemi Warriors know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El-Kanemi Warriors, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El-Kanemi Warriors they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” El-Kanemi Warriors have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The name of Bashar Musa has come up in conversations El-Kanemi Warriors were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
A 1-0 win over Rangers International, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Daddy Abdulrahman has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. El-Kanemi Warriors know, and have known for weeks.
18 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at El-Kanemi Warriors has to find a result from somewhere.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El-Kanemi Warriors, and both men came out saying it was fine.
16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at El-Kanemi Warriors has to find a result from somewhere.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” El-Kanemi Warriors have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
15 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at El-Kanemi Warriors has to find a result from somewhere.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El-Kanemi Warriors can pretend not to have heard.
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Daddy Abdulrahman has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. El-Kanemi Warriors know, and have known for weeks.
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at El-Kanemi Warriors has to find a result from somewhere.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Emmanuel Nwabufo knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. El-Kanemi Warriors have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
A new face in his position, and Thankgod Ikeagwu suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. El-Kanemi Warriors have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Isaiah Ejeh arrives at El-Kanemi Warriors with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.