The Nigerian football industry houses many talented players in the grassroots who are relatively unknown. However, there is still a large fan base of the leagues that have almost no information about teams in the NPFL and lower leagues.
Sports247 met with the coach of MFM FC, Ikechukwu Christian Isiekwene, and had a little chat about the coach on what coaching is like in the NPFL and other topics.
Question: How did coaching start for you?
Answer: I got injured in 2012 playing for the union bank football club of Lagos during training. Hoping the knee injury will go, two years later and I realized I couldn’t play again. My boss, My brother, and My friend Kamara (Fidelis Ilechukwu) called me to come and assist him, and I answered. That’s how it all started.
Question: What’s your Matchday routine like from morning?
Answer: The team will be at the hotel a day before the match. After waking, it’s my prayers. Bring my players for pre-match talk around 10 am. And after the pre-match talk, I will have my own view about the game.
Question: If you were a football player, what will be your position on the field?
Answer: Attacking midfielder
Question: Describe a normal day for you without any football match
Answer: I like self Education. I Like educating myself as a coach and it’s really, really helping me in my coaching career.
Question: What is your favorite part about being a coach?
Answer: Anytime I’m in training teaching my players, I enjoy it alot.
Coach IK as he’s called formerly worked with Broad City and briefly with NLO side, Lekki United before taking over from former MFM FC coach, Olalekan Gabriel aka Super in the early stages of the first half of the 2021/2022 NPFL season and it’s his first time coaching in the country’s top flight.
