“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Nasarawa United have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Nasarawa United is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The name of Sunusi Audu has come up in conversations Nasarawa United were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Nasarawa United, and both men came out saying it was fine.
2 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Nasarawa United can pretend not to have heard.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Nasarawa United they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Every debut is a small story about the future: Samuel Nnoli, 20 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
In brief
The terracesThe press have found their man in Chukwudi Okoro