Why it’s difficult for nowadays footballers to succeed – Basco

How did Kaduna Kick and Die, popularly called KKD Academy start?Well, my name is Lawal Basco and I was born over 60 years ago. I have been the chairman of Kaduna Kick and Die, KKD Football Academy for over forty years now because all my life I have always loved football. When the young men […]

How did Kaduna Kick and Die, popularly called KKD Academy start?
Well, my name is Lawal Basco and I was born over 60 years ago. I have been the chairman of Kaduna Kick and Die, KKD Football Academy for over forty years now because all my life I have always loved football. When the young men at the time came together to form this academy, since I was a bit older than them at the time and they know how much I like the beautiful game, they called me to be their leader in order to bring organization to the place.  Since then I have been on this journey of unearthing and grooming players for various cadres of the national teams and different other clubs in Nigeria.
Was there ever a time that you became disillusioned due to some reasons and left only to find yourself back again?
No, that hasn’t happened before. Only sicknesses and personal travels have taken me away from this team in the past and nothing more. But as you know whenever there is a union of people there’s bound to be clashes of egos. It’s one’s ability to manage those situations that defines his personality so overall I will say I have never left and not thinking of leaving anytime soon.
Can you go down memory lane and tell us how some of the great players you’ve produced like Daniel Amokachi, Dahiru Sadi and Garba Lawal started with the academy?
Well, as for Daniel Amokachi, he just came in one day and said he wanted to play with us and we allowed him into the team and straight away everyone could see what a talent he was. He kept on terrorizing the defenders and everyone was like what a player and since that day he became part of our team. He kept coming every time and his story is similar to all the others, Dahiru Sadi and Garba Lawal. Sadi was another interesting talent from his early years. He could play against anyone no matter how big. He wouldn’t be afraid and had an amazing vision for killer pass like that of the Xavi’s and Iniesta’s of today while Garba (Lawal) was a mixture of grit and flair. Right from the beginning could trade tackles like your regular holding midfielder and when you wanted him to surge forward he has what it takes to nick in a goal or two for you. So all those players have always been good from the beginning.
In your opinion what do you think are the differences between the players of those days and today’s aspiring footballers?
To be honest there’s a big difference because in the past players were very humble and obeyed instructions to the letter while today’s players can be very difficult to handle and one good game they start acting like super stars. This is very bad because it affects their general outlook towards the game. It’s as if someone who has a long journey to make but start resting after making only a single step so you could see the irony.
So what is your advice to upcoming football players?
They should be level headed and listen to whatever the coach says because he knows better that’s why he’s the coach. Sometimes you give them instructions but once they are on the field, they totally forget what they have been told which might cause the team to lose the game. So my advice is for them to be humble, listen attentively and work hard and by the grace of God they will be able to achieve their dreams. Those that achieved before them don’t have two head or four eyes. They were able to reach the top due to hard work and diligence so that is all they need to make it to the top.
How has the academy always survived and what are those things lacking at the moment?
We have always depended on ourselves for everything but sometimes we have individuals that have love for football who come in to contribute one way or the other. In addition, our ex-players whenever they are in town bring us jerseys, balls and other accessories. This does not mean we are self-sufficient and not lacking anything. In fact you have seen for yourself where we are operating at the moment and you can see we don’t have changing rooms, jerseys and enough training kits at the moment.