The Kun Khalifat Chronicle
Squad3 Jan 2028
9 saves: Akpan Nsikak-Abong was the team
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 9 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Market3 Jan 2028
Ugochukwu Akuta 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 The request is on a desk at Kun Khalifat, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
Jerry Ogu: 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.” Kun Khalifat have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
Blessed Iyamu frozen out at Kun Khalifat
This is not rotation. Blessed Iyamu has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Kun Khalifat is pretending otherwise.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Kun Khalifat
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Match1 Jan 2028
Bendel Insurance take the points off Kun Khalifat
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad3 Jan 2028
A row about effort at Kun Khalifat
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Gabriel Lekan was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Tempers go at Kun Khalifat
Chinonso Romanus 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.
Market3 Jan 2028
Taiwo Oduya steps up from the Kun Khalifat academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Taiwo Oduya has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Market Oscar Madu steps up from the Kun Khalifat academy
- Market Michael Osayi-Samuel steps up from the Kun Khalifat academy
- Player ratings Tega Ebetomane beats them one at a time