Home Interview “Football Was Forbidden at Home; My Dad Thought It Was Diabolical” – Kemen

“Football Was Forbidden at Home; My Dad Thought It Was Diabolical” – Kemen

by Arabella Zikora

Former Big Brother Naija housemate and fitness instructor, Ekemini Ekerette, popularly known as Kemen, talks about his love for football and working with professional athletes in this interview with ABIODUN ADEWALE

You spent time with Wilfred Ndidi and the kids in Ajegunle during the last Christmas. How important are such events to you?

Of course, it’s always good to give back to society and create memories with kids especially. Wilfred is a very important person to me because he has been my client for four years now and I love Leicester because of Ndidi but I support Manchester United. Being there with the children on that day was a duty to him in service to humanity as well.

How do you handle the technicality of working with professional athletes, unlike other clients who either want to drop or add weight as the case may be?

My job allows me to learn the different aspects of fitness, to be able to cater to different clients and their needs. I am a master trainer so I’m required to know how to handle different clients when they come. How I look is my preference. I could decide to be lean and still be an amazing trainer.

So how many more footballers and athletes do you have as clients?

I’ve worked with a few. I started with Odion Ighalo and I would say he opened me up to the athletes’ world and helped me build that trust. Since then I have worked with Ogenyi Onazi, Kenneth Omeruo, Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Boniface, Victor Osimhen, Frank Onyeka and even veterans like Emmanuel Emenike.

What are your fond memories of Nigerian football?

I remember the days we used to win the Africa Cup of Nations and the days Enyimba used to conquer the CAF Champions League with the likes of Romanus Orjinta, Okemmiri Ogbonna, Onyekachi Okonkwo and others. It feels so good to remember those days because they portray how good we were in football. Considering our last outing at the AFCON in 2024, it’s easy to say we almost won another title but for someone like me, it reminded me of how fierce we used to be. In those days too, we used to lose, but we were really a good team to watch and we saw the reflection in our clubs as well.

So, have you always been an Enyimba fan too?

I won’t say I was supporting Enyimba, but I always supported them anytime they were in the CAF Champions League. They are the Nigerian team I would always root for on the continent because I want the CAF Champions League title to come back to Nigeria.

Do you still follow the Nigeria Premier Football League?

Not as much as before because of the decline of the league.

Some clubs are changing the narratives about exposure, especially on social media. Are these not enough to grab your attention again?

The fact that even with the social media presence, someone like me is still uninterested shows how low the league has been. I remember the time we used to follow Enyimba, Bayelsa United and other clubs even in the north like Kano Pillars and WIkki Tourists, it was not the era of social media. So, the fact that we were so interested in it then shows that they need to do more these days to bring the league up and closer to the fans just like it was in those days. If that is done, we will enjoy it and appreciate it like we are doing with foreign leagues, especially the English Premier League.

How did your love for football start?

My daddy used to play football but not as a professional because he didn’t make money from football. He was one of the pioneer members of Calabar Rovers. So, I grew up playing football but my dad thought football was too diabolic and told me to go to school. I don’t just love football, I still play at leisure and I have the privilege of even playing with our national team players for leisure when they are around.

Even at leisure, how sleek are you now?

I am still a ‘baller’, don’t play with me.

How does it feel to be a Manchester United fan these days?

It comes with mixed feelings. Today we are seeing some tactical discipline and boom, in the next game, we are losing to another team in the bottom half of the table. It’s stressful but everything we are going through now doesn’t erase our heritage. When next we will achieve big things is the big question that is begging for answers. You might think the owners are finding answers to that but sometimes you have to question their decisions too. Everything about that club is currently screaming error.

Talk about decisions, United have moved from Ten Hag to Ruben Amorim, but things are still bleak. Will there be light at the end of the tunnel for United?

There will be light at the end of the tunnel but it will come with a lot of courage. Manchester United have a lot of structural issues. A lot of players have overstayed their welcome at the club. A lot of filtering has to be done.   New minds must be injected and we need a leader that complains less. I used to think Bruno was the guy but these days I don’t know what he is doing. I think with the right mindset, Amorim can do good with Manchester United.

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