On-Air Personality Kiibati Bankole opens up on her passion for football and why she loves Cristiano Ronaldo and Odion Ighalo, the Super Eagles reverse fixture against Ghana in Abuja and more, in this interview with JOHNNY EDWARD
What attracted you to football?
I’m a lover of the beautiful game and been hosting football shows and programmes for over a decade now. I never played football while growing up, which is weird, but my father is an ardent football fan. In fact, he is a coach and he still believes that my football passion came from him, but I don’t think so. We argue about this a lot. There was some influence from him at some point though, but I think the passion was self-driven. I love to debate football and banter a lot, which are some of the qualities that helped me thrive well on the job.
Who were your sports role models growing up?
There were a lot of them, but Godwin Enakhena was really helpful when I started off as sports On-Air Personality. He actually discovered me and after that I became what I am today. Then I was a regular guest analyst on TalkSport on Top Radio; a lot of people still wonder why I left the show. I did not leave on purpose, it was down to change of location, which made it difficult for me to attend the shows. Shortly after that, I registered my own production company and that’s when I created my current project, which is based on fans reactions and their passion about football. Through my radio and TV platforms, I realised that fans make the game more interesting. I realised some fans know a lot more than us the analysts. They are so passionate, they all love football. So, I decided to create a platform that will help them express themselves and I take the back seat, moderating while they engage in a conversation.
Getting brands to sponsor shows has been very difficult to come by in the industry. How have you been able to bankroll the events you host?
Actually, I faced a lot of challenges when I started as a broadcast journalist and the area of sponsorship was the toughest. I am a very ambitious person and I often forget that I am a woman. Most times, the rules always changed when it comes to me, maybe because I am a lady. Often times I get the ‘quid pro quo’ treatment from some clients telling me that if I don’t play this game I won’t get the sponsorship. It got me a bit stressed but my never-say-die attitude helped me and thank God at the end of it all I met the right people who helped me. The struggles of not succumbing for the awful quid pro quo made me lose a lot, like my relationship at that time, but I ended up smiling because the bigger offers came up eventually. My first show was hosted without a sponsor. I did not have a dime in my pocket and I kept looking for sponsors, until they came onboard.
Are you married now?
No I am not. But I’m in a relationship that has a direction, which I’m enjoying every bit of at the moment. My job has caused me several relationships in the past, although maybe because it was never solid, but I am happy with the lessons the experiences taught me.
Who’s your favourite footballer between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
I love both players, but I see more of myself in Ronaldo because he struggled had to attain the height he is at the moment. At 37, he doesn’t seem like a player who wants to quit. He is very hard working, resilient and purposeful in his play, which are some of the qualities I uphold a lot. Messi is talented, no doubt, but I don’t like him that much as I love Ronaldo.
Who is your best Super Eagles player?
Are you expecting me to mention some of the fine boys in the team? To be honest the player I like is Odion Ighalo. He is a very calm player. He is our best striker at the moment. Don’t get me wrong, I love other young players in the team as well. Ighalo is a goal poacher, I love goals scorers a lot and he is one of the best the country has at the moment.
The current Eagles have a bunch of young players in the squad, do you think we can qualify for the World Cup?
Of course we will. All the pastors and prayer warriors should come out and ensure we qualify for Qatar 2022. We will finish the job in Abuja.
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