The South West Derby: Sporting Lagos vs Remo Stars is a growing rivalry of football, culture and social banter

On a day when the English Premier League served a scintillating showdown between Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, fans travelled from all over Lagos to come and watch their local team put on a display and win the battle for the bragging rights, reports Soccernet.ng.

Fans of Remo Stars, popularly called the Sky Blue Stars, travelled over 80 kilometres from Ikenne, Ogun State, with their drums, saxophones and trumpets but were no match for the Noisy Lagosians’ happy corner. The match ended 4-1 in favour of the hosts.

Where did all of this begin?

Both clubs are privately owned by enterprising individuals. Remo Stars was founded in 2004 by Senator Kunle Soname, a businessman and politician, and the club has grown in leaps and bounds since that time, despite relegating in 2018.

Sporting Lagos, founded by tech entrepreneur Shola Akinlade in 2022, moved up the ranks speedily, gaining promotion to the NPFL in their first season as an established club.

They defeated Remo Stars in the off-season Naija Super 8 in front of a large crowd at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena. It proved to be the start of a rivalry that might change the colouration of football in the South West.

Since the demise of Ikorodu United, Stationery Stores, and the relegation and dissolution of MFM FC, there has not been much in terms of top-level professional football in Lagos.

Hence, the birth of Sporting Lagos is giving Lagos fans another opportunity to witness the best of domestic football.

Despite Remo Stars not being based in Lagos, their proximity to Lagos in the city of Ikenne means that it is considered almost a local derby.

Both these clubs bring something different, something surreal to the fans. With the rise of social media, the online growth of both clubs has been massive.

The growth of the Remo Stars academy has also put the club on the globe, with Beyond Limits FA winning the 2024 Viareggio Cup in Italy.

Rivalry on the pitch

At the start of the season, coach Daniel Ogunmodede of Remo Stars was blasé about his ambitions for the upcoming season, he simply wanted to win the league after missing out on his chance in the previous season, but for coach Paul Offor, keeping Sporting Lagos in the league was his priority, with every other thing an afterthought.

This ambition was put to the test in the Naija Super 8 final, and Sporting Lagos emerged victorious, securing their first silverware in just over a year after being founded.

Infuriated by this action, the Remo fans were desperate for revenge, as no one was going to reclaim the glory of the Yoruba land they had tried to build for years. After the match, Coach Daniel referred to the game as the smaller South-West derby, claiming the Remo Stars vs Shooting Stars game is bigger.

Their first clash in the NPFL was at Remo Stars’ home in Ikenne, and the Sky Blues Fans made sure the Lagosians felt the heat, grinding out a 2-1 win back in October 2023.

The events that unfolded afterwards left both teams in different spots. Remo are chasing a title, while Sporting Lagos are avoiding relegation.

Super Eagles striker, Junior Lokosa joined Sporting Lagos from Remo Stars in the summer and had been seriously underperforming despite being the highest-paid player in the Sporting team.

Yesterday, he looked a different breed in the clash between both teams and with just one agenda on his mind – to prove to his former club that they were wrong to let him go.

He chased after every ball, pressed hard, tackled like a bullish defender, and scored the opening goal, but refused to celebrate out of respect for his former team.

It was a quick switch in contrast as the Super Eagles striker was booed at the start of the game, but became a hero at the end, as the fans chanted his name, “Ohhh Junior Lokosa.”

A bicycle kick goal in a derby? The game had it all. Former Remo Stars defender, Philipp Odubio Kehinde scored from a corner kick as Remo failed to clear.

A real fan culture

At the start of each game, the players of both teams go to their favourite fan stand to salute their fans for pushing them through with their support despite not being at their best.

At the sound of the final whistle of Sporting’s 4-1 win over Remo Stars, the Sporting fans, at the sight of the club chairman, Godwin Enakhena, started their famous chant, thanking the manager for the joy he put on their faces.

“We are the sporting, we roll, Oh Sporting, we love you.”

For these fans, the economic hardship of the country will not deter them from turning up for their beloved Sporting.

Remo Stars in December, gave gifts back to the locals in Ikenne where the club is situated, thanking them for their support so far. With this relationship between the club and its fans, the numbers at the Stadium were impressive, as it was almost filled to the brim, which isn’t a regular occurrence in the NPFL.

Tickets were also made free for children attending the game, so they can have a feel of what it feels like to be part of a community of supporters. The children brag to their friends on the bus or in school on Monday about how good their team and favourite player was.

The beauty of it all

Austrian-born singer Rose May Alaba, the younger sister of Real Madrid’s David Alaba, also attended the game, giving the South-West derby a global audience. She was seen vibing to a Davido song while celebrating with the Noisy Lagosians after their win. Her new single Lockdown, featuring Camidoh, was also played in the stadium.

The rivalry brought out the competition in both teams. Sporting Lagos had never scored four goals in their history, but put four past their opponents, their biggest rivals in their home. I spoke with the coach after the game and told him about the feat he just achieved. His face lit up with a smile and he replied out of shock, a somewhat happy shock that concealed the unbelief of what just unfolded before his eyes.

Coach Daniel, on the other hand, took the blame for his team’s abysmal performance in a game where they were expected to put their front foot forward.

At the end of the game, both coaches discussed at length, keeping their rivalries aside to share their ideas as they look to make their teams better, and thus, the league, collectively.

With the bragging rights in Sporting’s hands for the rest of the season, the build-up for another scintillating encounter has begun, as no team will want to be on the losing side next time.