The Barau Courier
Squad15 Jan 2029
Chidi Akuneto damages knee ligaments — 81 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 81 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad15 Jan 2029
8 saves: Emeka Nwabulu was the team
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Transfer targets15 Jan 2029
Barau agree $380.0K for Chibuike Ohaegbulam
The clubs have shaken hands with Ikorodu City; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
Market15 Jan 2029
Simon Esosa Aibangbee asks to leave Barau
“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.
Transfer targets15 Jan 2029
The paperwork begins on Abdullahi Mohammad
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Barau have done the hard part with Kwara United, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
Stanley Oganbor frozen out at Barau
This is not rotation. Stanley Oganbor has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Barau is pretending otherwise.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
Hilary Ekawu 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.
Match13 Jan 2029
Barau get the job done against Remo Stars
A 1‑0 win over Remo Stars, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
Ahmadu Liman beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 17. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
In brief
- The dugout A promise honoured for Ahmadu Liman
- Squad John Onuachu signs a new deal
- The dugout Wilfred Chukwueze: “That is the standard”