Kun Khalifat U18

Nigerian Premier League U18
16 Feb 2027
Tuesday
Process
29 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

15 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

6 saves: Akpan Nsikak-Abong was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Market

Ahmed Yahaya 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 Kun Khalifat can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

Blessed Iyamu pops up at the right end — 7.45

7.45, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.

Squad

David Kalu falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Squad

Tempers go at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano 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

Isaac Ajayi steps up from the Kun Khalifat academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Isaac Ajayi 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.

The dugout

David Kalu 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

Kun Khalifat rescue it on 92 minutes

Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 92. Kwara United had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Alex Amaefula

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

Back issues
28 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Kun Khalifat through in the cup

A 3‑2 win over Katsina United, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Squad

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.

Player ratings

Ademola Balogun could not have asked for more on his first appearance — 7.70

Debuts are survived rather than enjoyed. This one was enjoyed: 7.70, 1 goals, and a manager already being asked whether he starts again next week.

Match

Solomon Odoemenam wins it after the whistle should have gone

95 minutes played. Solomon Odoemenam found the finish in time that only existed because of earlier delays, and Katsina United went from a point to nothing inside one movement.

Player ratings

Solomon Odoemenam scores twice — 8.82

Two goals and a mark of 8.82 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.

Market

Divine Onourah has said yes to Bayelsa United

The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Kun Khalifat have lost him in all but the paperwork.

Market

Emmanuel Okoh asks to leave Kun Khalifat

“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.

Player ratings

Emmanuel Ajibola was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 22. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

The terraces

One of their own: Emmanuel Ajibola

He is 20 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.

In brief

27 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

1 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

14 matches without a win for Kun Khalifat

The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Kun Khalifat are no longer polite ones.

Squad

8 saves: Akpan Nsikak-Abong 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.

Player ratings

A brace, and Chijioke Ahiaeke takes the afternoon — 8.35

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Chijioke Ahiaeke provided it, and the 8.35 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Player ratings

Alex Amaefula, 20, steals the show — 8.05

Marked 8.05 at 20, in a side that makes no allowances for age. He did not need any, and he looked the least nervous man on the pitch.

Market

Chukwuma Ukoh 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.

Boardroom

Deadline passes with 0 signed and 0 gone

That is the business done at Kun Khalifat until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.

Market

So close: Chukwuma Ukoh’s move dies late

The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Wikki Tourists moved on, Chukwuma Ukoh reports back to Kun Khalifat, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.

Match

Chijioke Ahiaeke’s goal not enough for Kun Khalifat

Chijioke Ahiaeke scored, and precious little else went right: 3‑5 to Bayelsa United, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Match

8 goals as Kun Khalifat and Bayelsa United go for it

Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 8 goals between Kun Khalifat and Bayelsa United, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.

In brief

26 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for Kun Khalifat

13 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Market

Stanley Nnanna asks to leave Kun Khalifat

“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.

Market

Kun Khalifat turn down Great Olympics for Divine Onourah

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Transfer targets

No thanks: Stanley Amon rejects the move

Kun Khalifat had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Bayelsa United, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.

Transfer targets

Kun Khalifat rebuffed over Stanley Oganbor

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Barau have kept their man, and Kun Khalifat go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Match

Chijioke Ahiaeke’s goal not enough for Kun Khalifat

Chijioke Ahiaeke scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Ikorodu City, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Squad

Michael Akano 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 Kun Khalifat this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

A row about effort at Kun Khalifat

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hassan Olubode was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Squad

Ola Akinola out for 22 days

The medical room confirms 22 days on the sidelines for Ola Akinola, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

  • The dugout No hiding place for Hassan Olubode
  • The dugout The view from the dugout
  • Player ratings Blessed Iyamu beats them one at a time
25 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

12 matches without a win for Kun Khalifat

The run now stands at 12, and the questions being asked around Kun Khalifat are no longer polite ones.

Transfer targets

Stanley Amon is a medical away from Kun Khalifat

The deal with Bayelsa United is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.

Squad

Michael Akano stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Michael Akano and Kun Khalifat agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Ndidi Kalu falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Squad

Tempers go at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano 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.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Musa Bassey

“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

Alex Amaefula was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 18. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Match

No time for Katsina United to settle

The goal that put Katsina United ahead was still being replayed on the concourse when Kun Khalifat equalised, 2 minutes later. Leads are only worth what you do with them.

The dugout

The form table has caught Ndidi Kalu

Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.

In brief

24 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Kun Khalifat's wait for a win

11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kun Khalifat has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Akpan Nsikak-Abong stands alone

9 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.

Market

Ahmed Yahaya 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.

Transfer targets

Stanley Oganbor is a medical away from Kun Khalifat

The deal with Barau is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.

Match

The goals have deserted Kun Khalifat

3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Kun Khalifat can tell you which week it ends in.

Squad

Words exchanged at Kun Khalifat

Hassan Olubode and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

Akpan Nsikak-Abong has improved at 24, which nobody expected

Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.

Squad

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.

Player ratings

Gabriel Lekan shuts the door

Defensive actions: 15, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

In brief

23 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

10 matches without a win for Kun Khalifat

The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Kun Khalifat are no longer polite ones.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Akpan Nsikak-Abong

There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Emmanuel Okoh 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.

Squad

Ndidi Kalu signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ndidi Kalu and Kun Khalifat agree another 3 years.

Squad

Words at Kun Khalifat training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. David Kalu is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Squad

A falling-out at Kun Khalifat

Hassan Olubode and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match

Bendel Insurance take the points off Kun Khalifat

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

The dugout

Ndidi Kalu 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.

The dugout

Gabriel Umar answers for it

“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.

In brief

22 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Michael Akano 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 Kun Khalifat this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Kun Khalifat lose Hassan Olubode

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

Squad

Gabriel Lekan falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

In brief

21 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Words at Kun Khalifat training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. David Kalu is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Market

Kun Khalifat promote Dennis Okereke from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Dennis Okereke has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.

Market

Kun Khalifat promote Ndidi Kalu from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Ndidi Kalu has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of David Kalu

“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

Akpan Nsikak-Abong 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 Kun Khalifat this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

The dugout

Osayi Akinola knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Osayi Akinola trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

20 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A falling-out at Kun Khalifat

Akpan Nsikak-Abong and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at Kun Khalifat

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Blessed Iyamu was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Ekebuike James

“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.

In brief

19 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Osayi Akinola 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.

Squad

Musa Bassey falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Squad

A falling-out at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

An unwelcome headline for Chinonso Romanus

He will be fined, he will apologise, and he will play on Saturday. The order of those three tells you everything about what a football club actually values.

Squad

Akpan Nsikak-Abong stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Akpan Nsikak-Abong and Kun Khalifat agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

The dugout

No hiding place for Alex Amaefula

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

In brief

18 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

The dugout

Ademola Eguavoen: 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.

Squad

Taiwo Ademola falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Squad

Michael Akano 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 Kun Khalifat this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

17 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano 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

Abah Chinonso out for 40 days

The medical room confirms 40 days on the sidelines for Abah Chinonso, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Michael Akano

“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.

In brief

16 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Words exchanged at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

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.

The dugout

Chinonso Romanus 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

15 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Victor Kelechi 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.

Squad

A falling-out at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Market

Gabriel Lawal steps up from the Kun Khalifat academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Gabriel Lawal 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.

Market

Kun Khalifat promote Musa Bassey from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Musa Bassey has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.

Squad

Words at Kun Khalifat training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gabriel Lekan is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

The manager makes Daniel Ifeanyichukwu a promise

Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Kun Khalifat. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.

In brief

14 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Blessed Iyamu signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Blessed Iyamu and Kun Khalifat agree another 4 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Kun Khalifat

Akpan Nsikak-Abong 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

Words at Kun Khalifat training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Blessed Iyamu is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

Onuorah Onyedika 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.

The dugout

Chinonso Romanus has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Kun Khalifat will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.

The dugout

Sunday Adehi 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

13 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Akpan Nsikak-Abong 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 Kun Khalifat this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

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.

Squad

David Kalu signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” David Kalu and Kun Khalifat agree another 3 years.

In brief

12 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Words at Kun Khalifat training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Taiwo Ademola is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Squad

Words exchanged at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

The dugout

Taiwo Ademola 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 Kun Khalifat, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

11 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Victor Kelechi asks to leave Kun Khalifat

“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

A falling-out at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Market

Kun Khalifat promote David Kalu from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. David Kalu has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.

Squad

Words at Kun Khalifat training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Blessed Iyamu is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

Daniel Ifeanyichukwu 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.

The dugout

Alex Amaefula 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 Kun Khalifat, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

10 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Michael Akano 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 Kun Khalifat this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

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.

The dugout

Ademola Eguavoen knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ademola Eguavoen trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Market

Louis Umoh is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Kun Khalifat has been clear about where Louis Umoh stands, which is more than many ever get.

The dugout

When it matters, Chinonso Romanus plays

It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.

Squad

Kun Khalifat have started building around Tega Ebetomane

He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.

In brief

9 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano 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

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.

Squad

Dennis Musa signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Dennis Musa commits to Kun Khalifat for another 3 years.

In brief

8 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Kun Khalifat's wait for a win

9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kun Khalifat has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Words exchanged at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

The terraces

One of their own: Wisdom Obichere

He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.

Squad

Words at Kun Khalifat training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hassan Olubode is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Player ratings

Wisdom Obichere was the difference for Kun Khalifat

Marked 7.43. Ask anyone leaving the ground what settled it and you will get one name, which is the only award that has ever really counted.

Squad

Umar Amoo signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Umar Amoo and Kun Khalifat agree another 3 years.

The dugout

Somebody else is better right now than Ademola Eguavoen

The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.

The dugout

Gabriel Umar on the point

“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Gabriel Umar after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.

The dugout

Chinonso Romanus 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.

In brief

7 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

8 matches without a win for Kun Khalifat

The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Kun Khalifat are no longer polite ones.

Market

Victor Kelechi 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Purpose Ahubaraezenna

Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

One of our own: Dennis Musa joins the Kun Khalifat first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Dennis Musa is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

Market

Osayi Akinola steps up from the Kun Khalifat academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Osayi Akinola 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.

Match

Kun Khalifat refuse to lose to Plateau United

A point taken on 89 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.

Squad

Words exchanged at Kun Khalifat

Akpan Nsikak-Abong and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Omolabi Owolabi

A mark of 7.90, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Squad

Gabriel Lekan falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

In brief

6 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

7 matches without a win for Kun Khalifat

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

Boardroom

Kun Khalifat close the window on a squad of their own making

14 in and 7 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.

Squad

A row about effort at Kun Khalifat

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Taiwo Ademola was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Player ratings

Onuorah Onyedika runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Peter Ikechukwu signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Peter Ikechukwu commits to Kun Khalifat for another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Kun Khalifat

Akpan Nsikak-Abong 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

Hassan Olubode is no longer first choice

The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Hassan Olubode has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.

The dugout

Kun Khalifat pick somebody else ahead of Ademola Eguavoen

There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.

Match

Kun Khalifat share the spoils with Wikki Tourists

A 1‑1 draw with Wikki Tourists leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

5 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The wait goes on for Kun Khalifat

6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Market

Tega Ebetomane 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 Kun Khalifat can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Dynamo Douala come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Kun Khalifat did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Player ratings

Purpose Ahubaraezenna runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

3 matches without a goal for Kun Khalifat

The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.

Transfer targets

Bayelsa United tell Kun Khalifat: Don-Pedro Samuel is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

Squad

Tempers go at Kun Khalifat

Michael Akano 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.

Match

A bad afternoon for Kun Khalifat against Niger Tornadoes

0‑1 to Niger Tornadoes, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Hassan Olubode falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

In brief

4 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

A hiding for Kun Khalifat

Beaten 0‑3 by Nasarawa United, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.

Market

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.

Match

No end in sight to Kun Khalifat's wait for a win

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

Transfer targets

Door shut on Joseph Kemin

Kun Khalifat asked and Barau said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Match

No clean sheets in sight for Kun Khalifat

4 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.

Squad

Words exchanged at Kun Khalifat

Hassan Olubode and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Market

Eyes on Divine Onourah again

The phone has started ringing about Divine Onourah again, and this time the name on the line is Dynamo Douala. Kun Khalifat are listening politely and promising nothing.

Boardroom

Doors closed at Kun Khalifat

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

The dugout

Gabriel Umar faces the questions

“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Gabriel Umar after 0‑3, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.

In brief

3 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The small margins put Kun Khalifat out

Out, 2‑3 to Katsina United, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.

Squad

Akpan Nsikak-Abong stands alone

7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.

Market

Victor Kelechi 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 Kun Khalifat can pretend not to have heard.

Match

4 matches without a win for Kun Khalifat

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

Squad

A falling-out at Kun Khalifat

Hassan Olubode and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match

A bad afternoon for Kun Khalifat against Abia Warriors

0‑2 to Abia Warriors, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Hassan Olubode

“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.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑2 Gabriel Umar left the room before anybody could ask which.

Transfer targets

Kun Khalifat try to borrow Don-Pedro Samuel

Bayelsa United have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.

In brief

2 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Chikamso Amaefula 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 Kun Khalifat can pretend not to have heard.

Match

A bad afternoon for Kun Khalifat against Rivers United

1‑3 to Rivers United, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Transfer targets

Kun Khalifat rebuffed over Luka Ngwei

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Nasarawa United have kept their man, and Kun Khalifat go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

Tempers go at Kun Khalifat

Hassan Olubode 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

One of our own: Ifeanyi Awaziem joins the Kun Khalifat first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Ifeanyi Awaziem is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

Market

Etebo Osimhen steps up from the Kun Khalifat academy

There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Etebo Osimhen 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.

Market

Kun Khalifat promote Ademola Eguavoen from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Ademola Eguavoen has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.

Squad

Gabriel Lekan signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Gabriel Lekan commits to Kun Khalifat for another 4 years.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑3 Gabriel Umar left the room before anybody could ask which.

In brief

1 Edition

The Kun Khalifat Chronicle

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

10 saves: Akpan Nsikak-Abong was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 10 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Market

Mmesoma Nnorom 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 Kun Khalifat can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Hassan Olubode signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Hassan Olubode commits to Kun Khalifat for another 4 years.

Squad

Hassan Olubode 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 Kun Khalifat this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Omolabi Owolabi was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 16. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Transfer targets

A loan move for Olagoke Olajobi is in the works

Kun Khalifat have made the call to Shooting Stars. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.

The dugout

The view from the dugout

“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Gabriel Umar chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.

Squad

Words at Kun Khalifat training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gabriel Lekan is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Market

The clock runs on Hassan Olubode's contract

49 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

In brief