Veteran actor, Kayode Olaiya, aka Aderupoko, has said that his favourite English club is Chelsea.
But he is quick to confess that he does not know the name of any of their players.
“The only club I like abroad is Chelsea and that is because of the colour of their jersey. My favourite colour is blue and I support Chelsea, but the truth is I don’t even know the name of any player in the club,” he notes in an interview in ‘Saturday Punch’.
Aderupoko, however, further stresses that his real favourite club is the 3SC, Ibadan.
Besides, the actor who says he used to play ball with neighbourhood mates as a child identifies Mathematical Segun Odegbami and the late Rashidi Yekini as the Green/Super Eagles’ best players ever.
He reflects on his memory of soccer in Nigeria (SIC):
Life was very good then and things were not as hard as they are right now, you have all the amenities needed and people were worried less and that also reflects in the way the Eagles played. They played good football because they know that they had people giving them massive support and they don’t want to disappoint. Whenever the country is victorious you need to see every street in Nigeria and that was the beauty back then, even the players know this, and they always wanted to do more to keep making Nigerians happy but now it is not the same.
Players and Nigerians are not as passionate as they used to be back then except for those betting on them. Another thing I think is responsible for the Eagles poor performances in recent times is the fact that they are not being encouraged by the government and that’s why you see many of our talents going to represent other countries. It is the same with the Nollywood industry here because we always borrow people’s houses and properties to shoot movies, but abroad government makes provisions for that. Our government doesn’t pay attention to things they know they are going to make quick money from and that is why the sports and entertainment industries are suffering but they are very wrong because if they invested heavily in these sectors, they will be able to attract sponsors.
If one is not determined and well-grounded one will be discouraged to deliver and that is what in some cases is affecting some of our players.
