By Wale Mustapha
Akwa United’s head coach, Kennedy Boboye, has set his sights on leading the team to their third President Federation Cup title this year, as they prepare for their Round of 64 clash with Kebbi United on Wednesday at the Bwari Stadium, Abuja.
The Promise Keepers, who lifted the prestigious competition in 2015 and 2017, are eager to go all the way this time after being knocked out by Kebbi United in the Round of 32 last year.
Boboye, who has a personal connection to the Federation Cup, having won it once as a player in 2005 with Dolphins, expressed his determination to secure the trophy as a coach.
“The FA Cup is not new to Akwa United Football Club, having won the cup twice (2015 and 2017). It will be an honor and pride for all of us and our fans to win it for the third time in ten years,” Boboye said.
He continued, “I have won the FA Cup once as a player, but I haven’t won it yet as a coach, so I would really love to win it this year with Akwa United.”
With his eyes firmly on the prize, Boboye and his team will look to build on their past successes and make a strong push for another Federation Cup title.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
