Ibrahim Sodiq

Striker - Shooting Stars
2 Nov 2027
Tuesday
Process

Marked for Ibrahim Sodiq

65 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Abiodun Adegoke says Shooting Stars went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Tunde Azeez has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shooting Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

David Idowu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

Back issues
63 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Chukwudi Ekeocha keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shooting Stars may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Ibrahim Sodiq is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Shooting Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Shooting Stars lose Aaron Olanare

16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

61 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Ibrahim Sodiq says Shooting Stars went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Tunde Azeez has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shooting Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

Aaron Olanare was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

59 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Player ratings

Aaron Olanare runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 35. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Market

Ibrahim Sodiq has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shooting Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Qamar Adegoke keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shooting Stars may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Aaron Olanare out for 45 days

The medical room confirms 45 days on the sidelines for Aaron Olanare, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

So close: Abiodun Adegoke’s move dies late

The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Plateau United moved on, Abiodun Adegoke reports back to Shooting Stars, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

David Idowu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Sulaiman Oyewale

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sulaiman Oyewale, and the manager let it.

Match

Shooting Stars come up short against Enyimba

Enyimba left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Player ratings

Ganiyu Wasiu keeps on missing

Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

57 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ozovehe Adeiza asks to leave Shooting Stars

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

At 19, Emmanuel Ndubueze is already the best thing here

An average of 7.00 in a first team he is several years too young for. Shooting Stars have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Market

Tunde Azeez has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shooting Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

David Idowu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Eyes on Emmanuel Ndubueze again

The phone has started ringing about Emmanuel Ndubueze again, and this time the name on the line is Abia Warriors. Shooting Stars are listening politely and promising nothing.

Player ratings

David Idowu shuts the door

Defensive actions: 21, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Kabiru Tijjani

Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Match

Ganiyu Wasiu sends Shooting Stars past Warri Wolves

It finished 2‑0, and it was Ganiyu Wasiu’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Shooting Stars.

Player ratings

One of those days for Ganiyu Wasiu

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.47, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

55 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Chidiebere Nnachi

Successful dribbles: 31. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Ghali Falke asks to leave Shooting Stars

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Ibrahim Sodiq keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shooting Stars may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

David Idowu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Ganiyu Wasiu gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Eyes on Olagoke Olajobi again

The phone has started ringing about Olagoke Olajobi again, and this time the name on the line is Rivers United. Shooting Stars are listening politely and promising nothing.

Market

Rivers United are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Shooting Stars will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Match

Shooting Stars draw a blank against Rangers International

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Rangers International defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

Squad

Moruf Umar makes his debut at 18

At 18 years old, Moruf Umar became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.

In brief

52 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Shooting Stars boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Market

Abiodun Adegoke puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shooting Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Shooting Stars say no — this time

The offer from Rivers United for Olagoke Olajobi was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Wasiu Jimoh

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

David Idowu in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shooting Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Ismail Ayodele

Marked 8.07 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Shooting Stars share the spoils with Niger Tornadoes

A 1‑1 draw with Niger Tornadoes leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Chukwudi Ekeocha

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Aaron Olanare leaves them behind him

Shots: 8. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

48 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

28 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Shooting Stars

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Shooting Stars is running low.

Match

7 matches without a win for Shooting Stars

The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Shooting Stars are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Qamar Adegoke says Shooting Stars went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Ibrahim Sodiq puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shooting Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

David Idowu in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shooting Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Aaron Olanare runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

47 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Shooting Stars are in real trouble now

Position 18, 23 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.

Match

6 matches without a win for Shooting Stars

The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Shooting Stars are no longer polite ones.

Market

Joshua Akpan asks to leave Shooting Stars

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

David Idowu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Aaron Olanare

Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

Ikorodu City take the points off Shooting Stars

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Sulaiman Oyewale gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Costly mistake from Mustapha Lawal

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Mustapha Lawal knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Market

Rivers United expected to open talks for Ozovehe Adeiza

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Shooting Stars will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

45 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Shooting Stars put Abdullahi Ekong on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Market

Tunde Azeez has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shooting Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

No end in sight to Shooting Stars's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shooting Stars has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

David Idowu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Adam Mustapha

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Kabiru Tijjani shuts the door

Defensive actions: 20, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Chidiebere Nnachi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Ganiyu Wasiu keeps on missing

Shots: 11, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

Match

Shooting Stars and Katsina United cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Katsina United came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

44 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Shooting Stars

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Shooting Stars is running low.

Squad

Ibrahim Sodiq: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Shooting Stars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Aaron Olanare in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Shooting Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Muyiwa Balogun in the eights

A performance of 9.01 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Aaron Olanare

Marked 8.24 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Shooting Stars and Remo Stars take a point apiece

It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

38 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ozovehe Adeiza hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Shooting Stars can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Ibrahim Sodiq keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shooting Stars may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Ozovehe Adeiza has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shooting Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

No end in sight to Shooting Stars's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Shooting Stars has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

David Idowu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Muyiwa Balogun

Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Monsoor Saleh

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Kabiru Tijjani

A mark of 7.81, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Squad

No hiding place for Gbolagade Adelowo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gbolagade Adelowo, and the manager let it.

In brief

22 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Lucky Emmanuel puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shooting Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Ibrahim Sodiq: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Shooting Stars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Shooting Stars

Aaron Olanare was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

11 Edition

The Shooting Stars Gazette

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Joshua Akpan asks to leave Shooting Stars

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Ibrahim Sodiq: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Shooting Stars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Lucky Emmanuel has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Shooting Stars they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

In brief