Emmanuel Mathias

Central Defender - Ikorodu City
11 Sep 2027
Saturday
Process
58 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Abass Lawal asks to leave Ikorodu City

“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.

Match

5 matches without a win for Ikorodu City

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Ikorodu City are no longer polite ones.

Market

Gor Mahia watching Goodluck Anuba

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ikorodu City have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Loan watch

Joseph George has seen enough of Yenisey

“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 Ikorodu City, and 2 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Joseph Arumala 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

Oladimeji Dada loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Oladimeji Dada. Ikorodu City will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Match

Ikorodu City draw a blank against Nasarawa United

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

Squad

Tosin Oyedokun handed the armband

The captaincy goes to Tosin Oyedokun. It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.

Market

Oladimeji Dada linked with a move away

The name of Oladimeji Dada keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ikorodu City say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

Back issues
49 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

5 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Emmanuel Mathias 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 Ikorodu City can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Naheem Odugbemi: 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.” Ikorodu City have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Michael Atata 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.

Loan watch

Kammonke Willie wants to come home

“I did not go to Hearts of Oak to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ikorodu City and fight for my place.” 7 appearances in 23 matches say the rest.

Match

Ikorodu City and Kano Pillars 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.

Squad

Daniel Idoko asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

46 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Uche Jaguar 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 Ikorodu City can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Ayomide Cole: 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.” Ikorodu City have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Yomi Ayodeji has one foot out of the door

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

Match

Ikorodu City find a way past Katsina United

Katsina United made Ikorodu City work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Oladimeji Dada 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.

Loan watch

Joseph George wants to come home

“I did not go to Yenisey to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ikorodu City and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.

Market

Emmanuel Mathias placed on the list

Ikorodu City have made Emmanuel Mathias available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

Squad

Shodeinde Moses unhappy with how he is being used

Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Shodeinde Moses has let it be known that he does not like the way Ikorodu City are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

Market

Oladimeji Dada linked with a move away

The name of Oladimeji Dada keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Ikorodu City say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

45 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Emmanuel Mathias 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 Ikorodu City can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

David Andrew: 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.” Ikorodu City have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Yomi Ayodeji has one foot out of the door

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

Squad

Gideon Manaseh 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for Ikorodu City against Kun Khalifat

0-1 to Kun Khalifat, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Loan watch

Kammonke Willie wants to come home

“I did not go to Hearts of Oak to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ikorodu City and fight for my place.” 7 appearances in 19 matches say the rest.

In brief

30 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

22 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Ikorodu City get the job done against Kano Pillars

A 2-0 win over Kano Pillars, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Chineme Chinonso

“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.

Squad

Samuel Ezekiel asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

27 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

1 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

9 unbeaten for Ikorodu City

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Ikorodu City did not have in the autumn.

Market

Temitope Folarin 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 Ikorodu City can pretend not to have heard.

Match

5 matches without a win for Ikorodu City

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Ikorodu City are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Suleiman Nasiru says Ikorodu City 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.

Squad

Emmanuel Mathias 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

Berekum Chelsea watching Joseph George

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Ikorodu City have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Squad

Aliu Salawudeen loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Aliu Salawudeen. Ikorodu City will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Match

Ikorodu City 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.

Squad

Oladimeji Dada asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

26 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Chidera Oparaocha asks to leave Ikorodu City

“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.

Match

8 unbeaten for Ikorodu City

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Ikorodu City did not have in the autumn.

Match

4 matches without a win for Ikorodu City

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Ikorodu City are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Oluwatomisin Adebayo 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

Emmanuel Mathias knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ikorodu City, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Shooting Stars are about to pick up the phone

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

Match

Ikorodu City and Kun Khalifat cancel each other out

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

Market

The Oladimeji Dada talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ikorodu City know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Somebody is after Uche Jaguar’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Uche Jaguar suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Ikorodu City have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

In brief

13 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Aliu Salawudeen says Ikorodu City 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.

Squad

Emmanuel Mathias 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

Ikorodu City lose Jonah James

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

In brief

10 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Wages eat 250% of everything Ikorodu City earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Holomo Mpeli 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

Daniel Idoko named player of the month

The award goes to Daniel Idoko, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.

Loan watch

Ibrahim Ayoola wants to come home

“I did not go to Berekum Chelsea to sit and watch. I want to come back to Ikorodu City and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.

Squad

Daniel Dennis asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Ikorodu City and Victor Ejukah are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

In brief

6 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Aderemi Adeoye 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 Ikorodu City can pretend not to have heard.

Match

No end in sight to Ikorodu City's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Ikorodu City has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Emmanuel Mathias

“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.

Boardroom

Wages eat 90% of everything Ikorodu City earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Market

Ikorodu City and Oladimeji Dada are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Market

Great Olympics are about to pick up the phone

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

Squad

The armband comes off David Andrew

Ikorodu City will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

Match

No goals between Ikorodu City and Nasarawa United

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Nasarawa United will be the happier side with the point.

Squad

David Andrew knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ikorodu City, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

5 Edition

The Ikorodu City Chronicle

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Ikorodu City out of the cup

Enyimba ended it 0-1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.

Market

David Andrew asks to leave Ikorodu City

“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.

Match

No end in sight to Ikorodu City's wait for a win

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

Squad

The manager makes an example of Holomo Mpeli

“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.

Market

Ikorodu City sign Owugha Tonyemiete, one for the future

Owugha Tonyemiete is 19, and Ikorodu City have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.

Match

Ikorodu City share the spoils with Abia Warriors

A 1-1 draw with Abia Warriors leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Shodeinde Moses asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

Aliu Salawudeen is off the mark for Ikorodu City

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Squad

Emmanuel Mathias unhappy with how he is being used

Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Emmanuel Mathias has let it be known that he does not like the way Ikorodu City are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

In brief