Not wanting to be like the
proverbial prophet that was not honoured in his home land, he decided to
return to his fatherland after over 10-year sojourn in the United
States, where he established various football academies and equally
planted youth programme in some European countries. Henry Abiodun spoke
to Kunle Adewale
Like many upcoming footballers Henry
Abiodun had high hopes looking into the future that he would one day
become a great footballer but a nagging knee injury at the age of 15 cut
short his ambition of fulfilling his dreams. But the dogged Abiodun
would not allow the injury to put-pay to his football ambition as he
secured admission into the popular Nigeria Institute of Sports (NIS)
from where he obtained his grade three, two and one certificates.
As a young man, he cut his coaching
teeth with Obeya Babes of Oturupo in Benue State and later Exide
Sparkers of Ibadan before pitching tents with the Youth Sports
Federation of Nigeria and he was responsible for making the YSFON to
have a very strong presence in Oyo State, from where he rose to be the
vice chairman of the federation.
But still raring to go he left for the
United States in 2001 where he attended several coaching schools and
because of his flair for youth soccer he established his now famous
youth academy-Shalom Soccer Academy, which has produced a reasonable
numbers of players. Due to his success with his academy Abiodun has
served as consultants for other academies in the United States and
Europe and also helped countries in planting soccer academies.
“I started my academy with just one
hundred dollars and with only six players and today I have developed
over 30 players that have passed from the Challenge to the Classic and
to the Olympics development levels in the U.S. I deal with
identification and youth programmes,” he said.
The coach had since returned to Nigeria
in his quest to contribute his quota to the development of football in
the county especially through youth development.
On why he returned to Nigeria in spite
of the successes he recorded in America, he said: “Firstly I’m a
Nigerian and then there is a point you get to outside your fatherland
and you start having the feelings that you are needed back in your
country. When you start from the scratch in a foreign country and rose
to becoming the directors of about three organisations there is always
the feelings that you are also needed back home. I left Nigeria with the
highest football coaching certificate the country can offer and also
emerged as the best student of my set and having gone through various
courses in America and have been of tremendous help to the football
development in America and some European countries, so why not Nigeria.”
Despite having left the shores of
Nigeria for over 10 years and with a lot of changes in the country’s
football, Abiodun never doubted that he could still fits in very well
into Nigerian football system.
“I’m a very flexible person and having
been to several countries and not have difficulties in adapting to their
system. Moreover, I always have a lot of friends in Nigeria and kept
abreast of Nigerian football even from the grassroots. Also, having been
a player and administrator with YSFON and formerly a director of
coaching in Oyo State before I left for the U.S. it was easy to adapt
very well and quickly too,” he said.
Poor officiating have been a regular
occurrence in the Nigeria’s league but it was this department of the
game the returnee coach scored high when answering question on what has
changed about Nigerian football since his sojourn to the United States
and when he came back.
“The referees have come a long way in
trying to improve the standard of officiating. Formerly you cannot win
away from home, but now teams’ record away wins in the league unlike
years back when goal-bound moves by away teams attract the referees’
whistle for one dubious infringement. If the clubs are well tutored and
the players work hard enough they can win anywhere which is very good
for Nigerian football development. The other change that I noticed have
changed since my return is in the stadium facilities. Most of the turfs
used by the clubs now are not really bad when compared to what was
obtainable many years back,” he said.
The technical director of Shalom Youth
Academy is not really disturbed by the empty stands at our different
stadia during league matches, as according to him if well addressed it
would be a thing of the past in the nearest future.
“With good structures on ground fans
will return to the stadium but when there is no structure in place there
will be disorganisation and there is no way fans would be attracted
under such circumstance. One obvious thing that is taking away fans from
the stadiums is the influence of European Leagues of which standard is
far better compare to our league. But unfortunately we are not doing
enough in terms of sponsorship and packaging the local clubs. Football
clubs are beyond going to play every weekend, it’s supposed to be an
institution where you grow young players. If all Nigeria Premier League
clubs have youth identification and development programme they will
attract friends who want to watch their mates and parents that wants to
see their kids to the stadium,” he opined.
He said some young Nigerians had also
passed through his academy most of who were born in the United States.
“I’m still monitoring their progress because they are great talents,” he
said.
Asked if his presence in Nigeria would
not affect his academy, the former YSFON coach said: “I believe in
vision and when you have vision and focus it lives after you. I was once
in Europe during a particular summer where I had the sixth Italian Camp
programme which I usually run and I brought Italian technocrats that I
invite to the camp which had over 50 players and without my presence it
was very successful. Even now that I’m not in my camp things are going
on smoothly because I can run the day-to-day affairs of my academy from
wherever I may be in the world. The world is now a global village and I
can follow up the affairs in my camp on the internet, face books and by
many other means. I have the programmes set for them as the technical
director of the organization. Things are moving fine in my academy and
nothing suffers,” Abiodun said.
Meanwhile, Abiodun was recently relieved
of his job as the technical director of Sunshine Stars by the Ondo
State Football Agency (ODSFA), which manages the club because of failure
to work together with head coach, Samson Unuanel.
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