3rd December, 2012
Adeleke Safiat scored four goals, as Edo State ran riot against Team Kaduna State in a female football event of the ongoing National Sports Festival. After their game at the Agege Stadium on Sunday, Safiat spoke to ADEBOBOLA ALAWODE about her readiness to score more goals to help her team win soccer gold at Eko 2012
You scored four goals against Kaduna, you appear desperate to score more?
There is no secret behind my goal scoring feat; I was scored four goals because my teammates played for me. Football is a team sport so there is no way I can score goals without the assistance of my teammates.
Your confidence in front of goal is awesome?
As a striker my duty is to score goals, that’s what I have come to Lagos to do. I helped my team score some crucial goals but there is no gainsaying that it is my making. I have never been afraid of any of my opponents because my aim is to score goals and I’m proud to be scoring the goals.
Also, scoring goals makes me happy. I want to promise my fans that they are yet to see the better part of me. I score goals with ease, so they should expect more from me.
Some of the spectators are saying you don’t look like a footballer, that you should be a boxer or rugby player judging by your stature?
People are entitled to their opinions but for me, I’m a footballer and I don’t want people to see me otherwise. My stature has nothing to do with my career. My fans should take me the way I am.
Team Edo would be up against the hosts, Team Lagos in your next match, what are you expecting?
What else should I expect than an outright victory? Lagos is hosting but that does not mean that they are going to beat us. We would show them no respect. Football is not decided on the hosts but the best team would carry the day.
You have watched Team Lagos, how will you rate them going into the tie?
The match on Tuesday would be explosive and entertaining because as hosts, Lagos would want to win, we also would want to win so expect the best from both sides but I believe we are going to defeat Team Lagos come Tuesday.
What gives you that confidence?
My confidence is built on the strength of our team. We are not in Lagos to see the Eko Bridge but to make a statement by winning the gold medal in the female football event.
How will you rate female football in Nigeria?
Female football in Nigeria is developing but we still need some support from the corporate bodies. The Federal and State Governments cannot do it alone so I believe with corporate bodies sponsoring some teams, female football would develop faster.
Do you have plans of playing professional football?
That is my dream; I want to take my football career to the next level by moving abroad in no distant time.