Titiloye Clement Olakumbi, the Chairman of Kwara United is no doubt, in a new world, after winning the President Federation Cup trophy for the state for the first time. He spoke to sportsbash.com.ng on the record breaking feat, the challenges of leading the club for six years so far, and his projections for the coming season. Excerpts:

Congratulations to you for leading Kwara United Football Club to win the President Federation Cup for the first time, and the inaugural N-Youth League U19 trophy. How did you feel, as the Chairman of the club?

I feel highly fulfilled, and this is because these things happened for the first time in Kwara state, and I am happy to be part of that history. I thank the Almighty God, and I thank Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON, the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum for his support. He also witnessed how it all happened at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos on Saturday June 28 and Sunday June 29, 2025. We are grateful to him. He was there when we defeated Abakaliki FC to win the trophy for the state for the first time. It was a memorable atmosphere.

Where do we go from here? How has the preparations for the new season been?

As you are aware, we have started training, and the point we are now is that, the players are about 85 percent fit. They will soon go into close camping, to avoid distractions, and to map out final strategies ahead of the season.
We are ready for the 2025/2026 NPFL campaign. We will open our season with a home fixture against Ikorodu City in Ilorin as the league kicks off on Friday, August 22. We are confident that the team is well-prepared to improve on last season’s performance. The technical crew and players are working tirelessly, and we believe we can build on the momentum from last season to achieve even greater success.

Six seasons now in charge of the team as Chairman. How would you analyse some of the challenges and achievements?

When I was first appointed as Chairman of Kwara United in 2019, the first question I asked myself was, why is this club always going on relegation? After one or two seasons, they are always back to the Nigeria National League (NNL). We identified some of these problems, at least, the major ones, and we blocked the loopholes. We are grateful that we are still in the Premier League, and this coming season will be our seventh season in the apex league consecutively.
The achievements over time were purely out of dedication, hard work, and shunning of distractions, because if you get distracted….Like the Chinese always say; On your journey to success, if you bark at every dog that barks at you on the way, you won’t get there at the right time.
On two occasions, we nearly went on relegation. Its part of the distractions we face as a club, and as individuals. But we thank God we scaled those dirty episodes.

Running Kwara United, is it that challenging, and, does it put you under pressure?

I can tell you, football is the easiest work for me in my life, but the distractions that come with it in Kwara state especially, is the main challenge. In modern football, support is very important. And I expect Kwrans to fully support the team irrespective of our affiliations. But when you find people from the state working against the club, and carrying malicious and false statements up and down…..that’s where the challenge is. And I thank God for one thing … .I never reacted to any of them.
On the whole, managing Kwara United for six years now has been challenging. Its absolutely challenging…lots of times, it has brought joy, and sometimes, great worries, but my greatest drawback, just like I said earlier, are the distractions, especially from within.

Kwara United will be playing in three competitions, the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), the Federation Cup and the CAF Confederation Cup. How prepared are you for these competitions?

Our target this coming season is to win the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). It will be tough and rough, but we are long overdue for it. We will work harder to navigate whatever challenges that will come our way.
For the CAF Confederation Cup, its our desire to get to the Group Stage, and the final. Anything can happen from there. By August, we will know where we will start our preliminary matches, and we will take it from there.
We hope to play our preliminary and even first round matches in Ilorin, depending on various factors. But if it doesn’t materialize, that’s if the Main-Bowl of the George Agbazika Innih Stadium Complex will not be available because of CAF regulations, our next available option is Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne. It’s the closest Stadium to Ilorin that’s approved by CAF.
And as the defending champions of the President Federation Cup, we hope to go all the way again. Playing in all three competitions will require a lot, especially in areas of finance, managerial skills and technical know-how, but our Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is there for us for support.

When the final match of the Federation Cup was going on in Lagos, every minute seemed tougher for Kwara United. What was in your mind?

I was talking to my creator, that, yes, we are here, and we want to win the trophy. I know He will not put us to shame. We have put everything in place to win, and above all, we have motivated the players. As the minutes trickled away, in my mind, I thought it would get into penalties, because of the tactical approach of Kwara United. Instead of attacking in our usual way, we allowed them to come to us before we responded.

Were you under pressure to win the final, especially with the Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on the stands?

Obviously, yes. He is the owner and financier of the club, and he has been supporting us adequately. We all know that winning it will more or less, be a special present to him, and it will spur him to do more for us, and for sports generally in the state. We cannot afford to disappoint him.

At the reception for the team at the State Banquet Hall, how would you rate your feelings?

I wasn’t happy, and I wasn’t sad either. This is because I know for such a feat, it’s not that day at the Banquet Hall that I will know the impact of what has happened. I told the technical crew that, in three or four years time, that’s when you will fully understand what happened on Saturday June 28, 2025.

Kwara United colour dominated the stands during the final of the Federation Cup in Lagos. Does that make you proud?

I was proud to be a Kwaran that fateful day, seeing the colours of the club dominate the stands. It was massive. I thank God that it’s a scene like the Federation Cup that brought the Kwarans together. Even though we knew that some people were wishing us bad at the final, even at the stadium, at the end, the majority of Kwarans with their whole heart, came out to support the club.

The squad for the new season must be rich in quantity and in quality. What should we be expecting?

It will surprise you to know that we have streamlined our squad strength. We are taking not more than 30 players, both old and new. We are not unaware that we will be playing three tough competitions. We are also not unaware that there will be injuries and suspensions along the line, but we will work on them. We will engage 30 quality players only. By Wednesday (today), the technical crew are expected to submit the final list of players.

How would you rate the technical crew?

The technical crew being led by Coach Tunde Sanni has done excellently well, judging by the available statistics. They are the first set of technical crew that won the Federation Cup for Kwara state. They deserve commendation and encouragement.

Since your assumption of office, except for Coach Abdulazeez who coached the team as a stop gap coach, the others have been indigenous coaches. Was that deliberate?

Yes, it was deliberate. And they all have relationships with the club. In the current set, the Technical Adviser, Tunde Sanni was former Captain of the Club. He had once been the Technical Adviser before the current dispensation, and has also been the Chief Coach and Assistant Coach on other occasions. The Chief Coach, Coach Ashifat Sulaiman, also known as Brazil had Captained the club when playing. The Goalkeeper Trainer, Bamidele Aiyenugba played for the club, the Kits Manager also played for the club.
When we started in 2019, we started with Coach Usman Abdullahi Biffo. We had a fantastic relationship. I had known Coach Biffo for a very long time, since the time he worked with late Coach Justin Tenger of the blessed memory. At the time, he wanted me to be his Manager. And when the opportunity came for me to manage Kwara United, he was the first person that came to my mind, because he is a coach that is self training himself. He self sponsored himself to many international Coaching Courses. He understands what is required in modern football. After him, we engaged Coach Kabir Sulaiman Dogo. He came, did his best, and after Coach Dogo, we elevated Coach Tubde Sanni who was assisting Dogo before Dogo left.
Coach Tunde Sanni has a two years contract with Kwara United, just like the other technical crew members. Coach Tunde Sanni still has one more season to go in his existing contract.
And now that Coach Tunde Sanni has won the Federation Cup, we will seek advice and permission from the government on what to do. And it would be appreciated if our subvention is increased, so that we can make necessary adjustments on his existing contract.

What are your projections for the next two years of your tenure?

Well, that the number of trophies in the trophy cabinet of Kwara United increases, so that when I bow out, I will be highly satisfied that, yes, I have done the best for my state. By then, I will be too old to continue as the Chairman. I need rest.

How would you rate the mentality of an average Nigerian player in the game of football?

The average Nigerian player is only interested in money. That’s one. Secondly, the average Nigerian player is unruly, and thirdly, they don’t like training. We have all been reading on the internet how players like Cristiano Robaldo spend more time and extra hours practicing free kicks. All that our players do after training is to go and drink, while some of them just jog around the field or go to the gym. But they need to perfect the skills they are good at. If you are good at free kick, shots, ball placement and others, you must train more to master the art. And that’s why people subscribe to pay stations to watch foreign leagues, and not Nigerian leagues, because they will always tell you that our players lack the basics. Players that will fight referees….players that will engage in betting and all that. And I always advise my players, you have not even started your journey because you are still playing in Nigeria, so, what’s all the dread locks and the earrings for? You are copying a billionaire when you cannot even earn N1 million in a month. It’s a big problem.

Will winning the Federation Cup motivate you to do more next season?

Yes, it will obviously motivate me and the team to believe, and do more, as we prepare for the new season. We already know what winning the trophy will give us, and we should be ready for the hostilities ahead, drawing motivation from the victory in the Federation Cup.

Talking about the registration requirements for the CAFCC, Kwara Governor has paid off all the debts owed to former players and officials of the club. Are you relieved?

We cannot thank His Excellency, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq enough for that huge gesture. The approval and release of over N201 million was huge and massive, and we have earned more respect with that. We were aware of the unpaid entitlements of the ex-players of the club, and had shown concerns, but there was nothing we can do as a management but to appeal to the Governor, and we are happy it’s now a thing of the past. We thank the ex-players and officials for their patience and sacrifice.

Your message to Kwarans, especially those who supported the team during the season?

I will want to thank all of them, both at home and in the diaspora, who assisted us both financially and otherwise. Like I always say, this victory is not only for us at Kwara United, but fr Kwara as a whole. A lot of people contributed financially. A lot of people prayed, a lot of people travelled, even at night…and all that. A fan even came with 40 loaves of bread for the players on the day of the final. That’s to tell you how passionate they are. We appreciate them all. Look at the woman selling popcorn and groundnuts at the stadium … .Mrs Oluwatoyin Abdullahi…, because of our victory in the Federation Cup, she turned into a star. All these things cumulatively will spur me to do more so that more people will gain more benefits from our successes.

Kwara United is now a big brand. How do you hope to leverage these for business opportunities?

We already have a shirt sponsor for the 2025/2026 season. We have so many things coming up, and any of it that has materialized, we shall let Kwarans know about it.