The name Duke Udi will turn ears any day, anytime. But as a little reminder: Duke Udi was regarded once as an enfant terrible of Nigerian football. He was at a point dubbed one of the most skilful players in Nigeria but he never fully realised his potential. This was as a result of his stubbornness that put him on collision course with his coaches and constituent authority. Udi hardly ever stayed long enough in any club and by the time he decided to hang his boots in 2008, he had starred for 11 local and four foreign clubs. His skill and talent as a striker, however, endeared him to the local fans of Ibadan and ardent supporters of 3SC, the most successful club in the western part of the country. Udi would have been an instant hit, even in the best leagues of the world; England, Spain, Italy and Germany, but his exploits abroad were limited to Switzerland, Israel and Russia. Though he played for the national teams both at the junior and senior levels, his appearances were few and in between.
However, in this recent interview at Ibadan, Oyo State, where he has made his home following years of dazzling performance on the pitch for 3SC, the now older, sober Duke Udi opened up on his career and how his stubbornness cost him marital bliss.
Udi revealed that he never had the opportunity to enjoy marital bliss, though he lived with a wonderful woman that bore him two children. Their union, he said, was never consummated due to his unconventional nature.
Hear him: “I wasn’t married legally, up till now. It was true that I was living with this wonderful woman that bore my kids for me, a boy and a girl. But we only have kids out of wedlock. I was not just ready to consummate our union and she’s now legally married with three kids to somebody else in London.” She must have waited endlessly for Udi to pop the magic words before opting out of the unholy union. Udi added, with regrets colouring his voice; “I met her in Ibadan here but not legally married to her. We only had kids out of our friendship union then. I took her for granted and since then l have been living alone with my kids.”
Udi is, however, considering doing what he could have done years ago: “My children are here in Ibadan with me. They are still in school and I am taking care of them. They are all I have but they are old enough to know that I need a woman by my side now. So I am considering marriage and will definitely do so anytime I see a suitable woman that I know we can get along very well. I am prepared to go all the way, meet her family and properly marry her.”
Udi is a changed person and, to kick back into life his down-the-hill football life, he has undergone a successful coaching course in the United States (U.S) and hopes to integrate into the younger ones his abundant talent and training.
Udi, however, reiterated that he is a rebel with a cause. “I do not regret my face-off with Nigerian club owners and their managers because I don’t want to be cheated. If I have to do it again, I will.” The ex-international speaks on many other issues: Excerpts…
What have you been doing since you retired from the game?
I love football and my life revolves round football. If you mention the name Duke Udi, many people would acknowledge me became l earned it as a footballer. It made me what I am today, and I feel like giving back to the society that made me through football, because everything is not about money. I when to the United States of America and did my coaching course with Chicago Football Association in Illinois and came out with certificate in adult coaching licence after that I returned home and been trying to get a club where I can impact what I have learnt on the younger ones.
Would you say you are comfortable or struggling in retirement?
I want to say I am happy for what I have achieved as a footballer. I am comfortable. Since l left football in 2008, l have not worked for any club nor received wages but l do not lack. I played for many clubs in Nigeria but all I earned there was peanut. It was when I played abroad, first in Switzerland, then in Russia that I made good money. And I made good savings while I was there. The clubs over there are sincere and when you sign a contract with them they would stand by it. The money I made in Europe was what I used to build my houses in Ibadan. I can afford to just wake up and train young boys like I have been doing for some time now. I don’t have to work to eat because I did not misuse the money I got while I was playing. Most of the properties I have now were purchased when l was playing for Krylya of Russia. I am not begging today because l played for these clubs in Europe. I do not regret my face-off with Nigerian club owners and their managers because I don’t want to be cheated. If I have to do it again, I will.
Why don’t you go back to 3SC where you spent a major part of your playing career?
Ordinarily, in a developed world that is how it supposed to be. I ought to have gone back to my former club and begun as an understudy coach under the head coach there, but in Nigeria it’s a different ball game. Our football involves lot of politics and Nigerian young coaches need to exercise patience to get there. Abroad, coaches walk the fast lane, but, here, you have to overpay your dues to be recognised. Nigeria is a society that what you need to get a break through is to prove yourself whenever you are given the opportunity and the people will back you to the high heavens and have a faith in you any day, anytime. But getting the breakthrough is what is difficult. I’m sure of myself and sure of what I can do as a football coach. I will be a plus to any team I join. Although, I have been in talk with one or two clubs, I just pray things work out fine, what is important is the platform to prove to the world what one is capable of doing.
Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia, Emmanuel Amuneke and Daniel Amokachi have all proved to be a good examples of Nigerian ex-players returning to coaching, are you also considering Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) job?
As a person, I don’t believe in lobbying for the NFF job. My desire is to have a united platform to present my case to the world. The players’ body we have is divided, and when the house is divided, it cannot stand, we have NANF and we have APFON working against each other, there is no way anybody will respect us, we don’t even have trust in ourselves. It is when we work as one that even NFF would be forced to recognise us, so I don’t blame NFF for anything and I would not lobby for anything.
There was uproar from people over the choice of players Stephen Keshi paraded at the just-concluded CHAN, especially the goalkeeper, Chigozie Agbim, what is your take on that?
Stephen Keshi is an established coach who really knows his onions, and the goalkeeper trainer, Ike Shorunmu, is a top class goalkeeper in his days in between the posts and for them to have stuck with Chigozie Agbim as first choice keeper even after the mistakes he made at the beginning of the tournament, means they have trust in him and must have seen qualities that people watching at a distance could not see. I will say he must be the best for us. We should learn to respect their choice, so Agbim is a good goalkeeper for me.
And what are the benefits of CHAN to our home-based players?
We all saw how most players we don’t know before showcased themselves. I’m really impressed. It is not about winning the competition, not about winning every time but positive attributes derivable from a competition is what is important. Now, we have a home-based Eagles we can now point to confidently.
Secondly, the home based players have now gotten a platform to showcase themselves. And this would create healthy competition among them. As you can see, some of them have been given World Cup green light.
How do you feel as an ex-player about the frequent crises in 3SC?
I’m don’t feel good seeing such great club suffering like this, and it is manmade, as a result of greed and penchant to feed fat on the club, it is really, really saddening. Last year, there was infighting between the then Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Oyo FA and the management board of the club. What I know is that, when a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. We pray the club doesn’t experience such internal bickering again.
Another thing I noticed is that, most people that go to the board of 3SC are there because of money and not for the love of the club. If you go to a club and you have the love of the club at heart, you will want to work for the success of the club first before money would come in, but people interested in managing 3SC now put money first and that is why the club can’t get the best out of its players.
But with the new General Manager, in person of Mr. Rasheed Balogun, who el know as somebody who has the interest and love of 3SC and puts his best into assignment he’s given, I think we are going to see a new result-oriented approach to work in 3SC. I wish them a resounding success this season in the Nigerian League.
Many of your contemporaries especially in Ibadan here, after active football life, are roaming the streets with no tangible sources of livelihood, what is your advice for the active ones?
Football is no longer at the level we played. Football is now big money-oriented ventures. Unlike when we played which was more like for fun and there was no scientific method adopted to manage players. Players now tend to be more disciplined, more determined to succeed than before because of the kind of money they stand to get.
My advice to youngsters now is that for you to aspire to play to the highest level, you need to put in 100 percent or 150 percent to get there. Also, they should aspire to go to countries, especially to Europe, where serious football is being played in the very best professional way and where the players are the centre of attraction.
I’m not saying places like Lebanon, Bangladesh, India where they would give them 10 thousand dollars, but Europe where they can get better contracts. They must also work hard, because we don’t have pension for footballers in Nigeria, so that they can save enough money, to invest in worthy business like real estate and see something to fall back on when they retire.
