Seidu Mutawakilu: Former Akwa United goalkeeper gutted by club’s relegation

Photo Credit - Akwa United Football Club, Uyo.

Former Ghana U-20 goalkeeper Seidu Mutawakilu has expressed regrets over the relegation of Akwa United from the Nigeria Professional Football League, [NPFL] at the end of the 2024/25 season.

The 29-year-old joined Akwa United from fellow NPFL side, Rivers United for one season but his service was not enough to keep the Uyo based club in the top flight.

Akwa, who were crowned champions of the NPFL for the first time in the 2000/21 league season, suffered relegation last term with 45 points in 18th spot, a situation that has left Mutawakilu disappointed.

“It does not feel for you as a player to be involved in a team that got relegated. It’s a very bad feeling and it’s a very bad moment for the players, the management, the technical team and the fans,” Mutawakilu told Pan-Africa Football.

“Every team wants to play and win glory and achieve a very good thing for the fans but as a player for you to be in a team that got relegated is a bad feeling and it’s not good for your CV.

“We all wanted to achieve good things for the club so that our names will be written in gold and not as players who got relegated with a club.”

The tall and lanky goalkeeper has spent close to a decade in Nigeria football and he gave positive reviews about his time in the most populous African nation.

“For me to stay in Nigeria for nine good seasons is something good for me because if it’s not good, I won’t spend those years in the league and the Nigeria league is very competitive because four teams are relegated.

“Comparing the Nigerian league to other leagues, the Nigeria league is very hard and I thank God for those clubs I played in Nigeria.”

Mutawakilu is one of the few players to have been in the books of Ghana’s two biggest clubs, Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak. He featured for Kotoko’s junior side before making a move to Hearts of Oak who sent him on loan to Dreams fc on a season’s loan.

He signed for Enugu Rangers after his contract with Hearts of Oak expired, spending five seasons at the club before joining Rivers United.