Whenever he walks into a sporting complex, especially at the Enyimba Stadium, fans and friends cheer him on “star coach, star coach” and he smiles waves, sometimes in his usual dramatic way or calmly. Yemi Olanrewaju, Enyimba’s coach is on the brink of doing star coach “things,” Etoile Filante stands on the way though.
He did not want to retire early from playing football but he had to, so to stay in the sport he loved, he chose to be a coach. He started at Magate FC and later moved on to MFM as assistant to Tony Bulus and later became coach of Vandrezzar and Golden Eaglets assistant coach.
In all, he has been at the helm in big games, but none would be compared to the game against Etoile Filante. As assistant, he worked with Finidi in the African Football League and the CAF Champions League.
Now, he is the man in charge, of winning Enyimba’s potential most important game on the continent in the past three seasons. A win against Etoile Filante sends the Elephants into the prestigious group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup.
For Yemi, this game is big, enough to clear any residue of doubt about his ability to lead the Elephants. He has started well by picking a vital draw in Bamako. He is just 90 minutes or more away from the group stages and yes, with him at the helm.
Now, he calls the shots. He is responsible for his decisions, his actions and inactions. He should not be under pressure, the league just started and he started brilliantly with that “tasty” victory in Owerri against Heartland. However, fans of the Elephants hold good results on the continent so highly and would cherish a smooth ride to the group stages
As an assistant, his light was shining but still, it should not and did not shine more than his principal, Finidi George. Yemi respects the legend and would not want any comparison, yet he wants to show the world and his wife that he is capable of leading Nigeria’s biggest club.
Yemi knows how big this task is. Apart from the work he has put in since the team went into closed camping in Uyo, Yemi posted on one of his social media pages: “Father, I lay behind the cross to let people see you, and not me.”
As the Elephants file out in blue on Sunday evening, the players would get the attention but one figure would always get the attention of the fans and the camera. He is the star coach after all and after he has won his biggest game, when he turns to greet the fans, hopefully someone says “that’s what stars do.”
