Kasimawo Laloko: A Football voyage

Tribute: Kasimawo Laloko- A Football Voyage

This was the title of the book I co-author with my dear friend, Charles Nwagbara and also published by a company of my dear friend, Lanre Rufai of Logicdata Publisher limited, Lagos, Nigeria. This book was done in the early years of our journalism training and it stands for me as a reflection of who truly Laloko was in his life time. A man that came much longer ahead of his generation- he was Mr. Football. He loved the game with a crazy passion and he did all he could to promote youth football. He believed in the young talents and catching them young as the best approach to grooming a winning and success football. He was well known for his coaching skills at secondary school level, his strict disciplinarian approach made him not so successful at coaching club level teams. His life was a voyage with ups and downs, full of controversies but made a good contribution to Nigeria and Africa football. No surprise after my book, this began to accelerate for him, his dream project – a football academy picked up superbly with the sponsorship of Pepsi. He established the Pepsi Football Academy in Lagos November 1992 which produced talented footballers who went on to represent Nigeria. Although he did struggled with the change of name from Kasimawo Laloko football Academy to Pepsi Football Academy; for the interest of the sports and his lads, he had to let go his name and adapted the new name. Coach Laloko was not the shy type of person at all, so whenever I needed news item for my publication, he was readily available to grant you an exclusive interview that would make headlines, he loved to talk to the press. Our relationship grew further into a family affair as he engaged my dad, Samuel Iruh as a technical staff because of his coaching experience with youth at the training center in Agege Stadium; this employment helped my dad greatly to overcome his early retirement from his career and he would worked further more into his 70s. They became good friends, exchanging home visits even after I left for Europe. Later on, he also gave my younger brother, Victor Iruh an employment as a physical trainer with the Academy before he immigrated to United Kingdom. Laloko was family to us and many people didn’t understand how we got on well with him. His life got busier when he was appointed Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Director and he had to move base to Abuja. He did a lot traveling between Abuja and Lagos. He continued to ensure that the Academy gets its attention and that the young footballers also got attention. Many of them got good football contract after going through the academy, some made it into other professional leagues in Africa and the Diaspora. Laloko was truly a legend in his own right. Just two years ago, I ran into him in Abeokuta, his home town and we did discuss a follow up on the first book as his CV is completely full now and we could make a movie, documentary of international standard and allow his legacy to live on. It was a common dream we shared but unfortunately, Covid-19 short down every plan until the sad news to me that Kashimawo Laloko has died. I immediately reached out to his first son, Adewale Laloko who did confirm his father’s passing away. Physically Laloko left us but the voyage continues and we have not heard the last of him yet. My prayers and thoughts are with the children, the extended family, and the students of the Pepsi football Academy and to Nigerian Football in general. Many have crossed his path and they all have different memories of him. Adewale revealed that his 76-year-old passed away after a brief illness, not related to COVID-19. I knew that because he had other medical challenges but he never allowed it to slow him down. He has since been buried at his Gbonagun residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Among those discovered by the Academy are Mikel Obi, Osaze Odemwingie, Soga Sambo, Elderson Echejile, Joseph Akpala, Yinka Adedeji and many others who enjoyed football scholarship to go to the United Kingdom of studies and training. The late Laloko was a national and international football coach, a teacher of Latin and all round sports personality, mentor and trainer. He was a great disciplinarian, a philanthropist and a dedicated Egba notable High Chief who until his death was the Parakoyi of Egbaland. He was a coach of the Gambia national team. (I will share that experience on a later date where we met again) The late Laloko was also a distinguished old boy of the famous Abeokuta Grammar School, Abeokuta, Ogun State. I salute you, Coach Kasimawo Abdul-Hafis Pius Laloko