Coach Azeez Opeyemi, the Head Coach of Escola United Football Academy, is currently basking in the success of leading Team Nigeria to victory at the Bayern Munich Youth Cup 2023 tournament in Germany.
Despite spending just two months with Escola United, his coaching prowess has already made a significant impact.
In an exclusive interview with Sports247, Coach Azeez shared his remarkable journey, the challenges he’s encountered, and his success story for both the Nigerian team and Escola United.
“It has been an amazing and somewhat challenging experience,” Coach Azeez explains. “Before the start of The Creative Championship League, I didn’t have much time to prepare the boys to get them in shape. However, with my proactive approach, I quickly organized the team and helped them secure a strong start. We won our first match against Iganmu Tigers, and then I took the selected Team Nigeria players to the Bayern Youth Cup in Germany.”
During his absence, Coach David, the assistant coach, managed Escola United, and while there were some subsequent draws and losses to Dino FC, Coach David’s dedication and leadership made a significant difference for the team.
Coach Azeez’s experience leading the Nigerian team to the Bayern Munich Youth Cup was marked by time constraints. He had only two days to prepare the players before the national competition in Enugu State.
“I created a training program that covered all football strategies and broke it down for the boys to understand the playing drills. After just two sessions, I took the players to Enugu, where we played six matches, reached the final, and clinched the cup.”
Upon returning to Lagos, Coach Azeez resumed his role at Escola United FA. He was presented with the opportunity to accompany the Nigerian team to the Bayern Munich Youth Cup in Germany. “This was even more challenging because there was very little time to prepare the boys,” he recalls.
“We had a training tour in France for one day, played a match there, and then headed to Germany for the tournament. We had one more training session in Germany.”
In the face of these limitations, Team Nigeria managed to reach the final and emerge victorious in the Bayern Munich Youth Cup 2023. Coach Azeez attributes this success to divine intervention.
Now back at Escola United, Coach Azeez is relishing the challenge and excitement that comes with the job. He acknowledges the difficulties the team faced, including being two goals down in the first match after he got back. However, they managed to equalize and were victorious.
Coach Azeez is pleased with the team’s progress and the distinctive style they’ve developed, emphasizing a commitment to controlling the game from the back and maintaining possession for the full 90 minutes.
He’s proud of the club’s philosophy and identity, emphasizing player development as a cornerstone of their strategy.
Coach Azeez holds a coaching certificate in football coaching and training from NIS and possesses a BSc in Business Administration. His diverse working experiences have played a vital role in shaping him into the successful coach he is today.
His journey with Escola United and the Nigerian team demonstrates his ability to overcome challenges and achieve success on and off the pitch. The progress he’s made with both teams reflects his dedication to player development and his passion for the beautiful game.
