Charles Ogundiya 
After near misses in the last three seasons, Remo Stars clinched the Nigeria Premier Football League title with three games to spare. Speaking with Saturday Telegraph’s CHARLES OGUNDIYA, the coach of the team, Daniel Ogunmodede, said it was a perfect birthday gift to the president of the club, Kunle Soname, who celebrated his 59th birthday same day. Excerpts:
After getting close on two occasions, how does it feel getting your hands on the NPFL title finally?
It was a moment of joy for me, because it is the testament that hard work pays through. We’ve been knocking at the door and finally it opened. That is the power of consistency and perseverance. So, I so elated that all the effort is not going anywhere. The investment, the hard work, everything that has been put in place from the start, in middle, and not just at the end.
It was a wild celebration for you after the final whistle, when the goal was not coming, was there a time you were not sure of the victory?
Well, it was tough. A moment of emotion. And I think the celebration was not enough compared to how much we have tried to get the title. So, it’s not enough. But that’s how much we could go at that time because during the game we have lost so much energy fighting for our life.
It took a lot from the players, the team as a whole. For me on the line, I was absolutely sure that we were going to score. We were going to win. We were prepared for that day. I think it was just an icing on the cake. We were happy at the end, we got it.
The title winning game came on the day the president of the club was celebrating his birthday, would you say it was a perfect birthday gift?
Perfect, very perfect. Very perfect. He will never forget the day for the rest of his life. It was a joyful coincidence.
You have won the title now, how do you plan to maintain the consistency?
Let’s focus on the top first. Maybe later we’ll talk about maintaining top. Let’s enjoy getting to the top first, I wouldn’t like to talk about any further steps now apart from the fact that I just want to enjoy the moment.
You are part of the National team setting and currently leading the CHAN team, with the league about to end, what’s the plans for the team ahead of the CHAN competition in August?
Plan is already underway. We have a lot of discussions with the coach of the Super Eagles. Like Few weeks ago, he was in the venue of some matches to watch himself. So, we have a series of discussions we already map out plans. We’re planning to have some games, but then again, after the season, the guys need some rest for sure, spend time with their family also get little time for their self after which they will now resume in camp.
Your family were there to celebrate with you. How have you been able to manage them despite your very tight schedule as a coach?
They are my backbone. Imagine the number of times I take out the impact of results from games on them. When things don’t go right, I go home and I take it out on them. The children, no time. My wife, no time, no absolute time. Yet, when I cry, they cry with me. They are just everything to me. They have been supportive. They give me total support. As they understand the nature of my job. And what more can I say about when something is your lifeline, your heart. I am grateful to them.
A building collapsed recently in Lagos and you are about entering the building when it happened, tell us about it…
We can only be grateful to God. We can only be grateful to God. I don’t have any other thing to say. I am not mocking those that were involved in the accident, I am just thanking God for allowing me to still be alive. Those that were there, I’m not better than them, I can only be grateful to God. Thank God for life.
And for the departed souls, may their soul rest in perfect peace. It would have been something else and like I mentioned the support from my wife, she has been a prayer warrior and she was actually the one that changed our plans and diverted us away fom the venue at the time we got there and not earlier than that, it was God and nobody else and I will be forever grateful to Him.
They call you ‘Ijaball’, how did you come about that name?
It’s a very long story. In Yoruba language, you know the word for fight. For me, nobody asked who fight, they only asked who won. It’s a kind of word that I’m trying to coin out of it. Maybe I should have called it Consistent Ball but no. Balls are consistently controlled. I tried to embrace our culture and that is how I came about the name Ijaball. The consistency- controlled profession that I’ve worked on for over 10 years and trying to see how it can work.
How did you come into football?
I used to be a street player as a young boy. I love the game, I have a different idea on how the game should be played and since then I thought of coaching my men and trying to play and try to take responsibilities. I tried to be a coach and teach people how to play. Along the line I got injured. In my secondary school days, I got a major surgery on appendix and the doctor said I can’t play again.
It was a planned work from my dad and the doctor because my dad wanted me to be a doctor. When he told me, I felt bad but I gave it a trial and unfortunately the area where I had surgery tore again. It was like what they said is true. I thought I can’t just leave football so I decided to become a coach. I started in my university days; I drafted some group of young boys and brought them together in the community. I showed them the way football is meant to be played. After that I had my encounter with Crown FC of Ogbomosho, and Chief Olagbenro, God bless his soul, noticed my potential and decided to sponsor me to NIS while instructing the management of the club to allow me do my IT there.
Unfortunately, before I finished my course, he died. I started with Crown, I worked with top coaches there and I learnt a lot from them. I worked with Godfrey Esu, Ganiu Salami, and Oladunni Oyekale among others and I learnt a lot from them all. I proceeded in my journey in becoming who I want to become, I moved to Remo Stars in 2015. I tried to educate myself, join groups where I can learn one or two things from and improve myself. This has been my retinue since.
With the decision of your dad to stop you from playing football and what you have been able to achieve over the years, what has been his reaction to your success?
Unfortunately, my dad is late and today my success after God is attributed to him. Reason being that he wanted the best for me but I insisted on football. He continued to treat me as a baby because when I was at the National Institute for Sport (NIS), he continued to bring foodstuffs for me in the college. He accepted what I wanted to do and supported me even though I studied physiology. Unfortunately for me, my dad is a Celestial member and as a young boy I was ashamed of it because anytime he comes around, he always comes in his white garment and people always see him with me and I became a popular person because they all see my dad and me. A very protective father I will say. He knew the best but I thought the best was what I could handle and that is coaching. I thought of it like it’s not everybody that can make it playing football and I am grateful to God that I made it as a coach.
