Togo - Adekanmi Olufade: "I joined Semassi because I like a challenge"

After a first spell between 2016 and 2018, Adekanmi Olufade is back in the Semassi dugout, having finished as Togo runner-up with them in the 2016-2017 season. Two months after his return, he won the Independence Cup on Sunday 27 April, the Sokodé club's first trophy after an 11-year drought, beating Dyto 3-0 in the final. In this interview with Sport News Africa, the former Lille player explains his motivations and sets out his ambitions with the club, who currently top D2 and are contenders for promotion to the top flight.

Hello coach, and congratulations on winning the Independence Cup. How does it feel to be the first manager to win a trophy with Semassi after an 11-year wait?

Adekanmi Olufade: It's always a pleasure to win the Independence Cup. Besides, I believe it's the Cup that Semassi de Sokodé had been missing. Thank God we've won it today. It also means I'm writing my name into the history of this club, which is a very big club, unfortunately relegated to the second division last season. But that doesn't take away from the big club it is, and I'm very happy to be writing a good chapter with Semassi.

You took over the club at a time when it no longer drew much interest after its relegation to D2. What motivated that decision?

Adekanmi Olufade: Semassi is still a big club, the most successful in Togo. That alone motivated me to take on this challenge, because I like a challenge, I like it when things are difficult, to show what I can do. It's true that Semassi no longer drew crowds because they had a disastrous season last year, which meant the fans stopped coming to the ground, but when I took charge, I analysed the situation and realised there was a lot of work to do.

How has that shown?

Adekanmi Olufade: Today, I think everyone agrees on the football my players are producing, especially in the final. It's true we haven't yet reached the target we set, which is promotion to D1, but I think we're on the right track. We're working hard and, as I say again, I like a challenge, and that's what motivated me to drop down to the second division to get the club back up to the first division.

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And the results have proved you right so far, with top spot in D2. What has Adekanmi Olufade changed at Semassi?

Adekanmi Olufade: I tried to reorganise the club by rebuilding the squad, because some players had left and others had stayed. So I looked at those who could really do a job, with a mix of old and new players. On the organisational side, I tried to get everyone pulling the same way by bringing in discipline, and today the players are following the same path as me. That's what makes us strong today. All my players are with me, we're all looking in the same direction, and that's why the results are coming. We work hard and, as you will have seen in the final against Dyto, we asserted our identity as a team, even though it wasn't easy to get there. There's no secret, it's hard work

What is your objective for the season?

Adekanmi Olufade: It's promotion. You can't ask for less than that from Semassi, the most successful club in Togo. That's our main objective.