FCB Nyasa Bullets gangly forward Babatunde Adepoju is set to return to his parent South African second-tier league Venda Academy following the expiry of his loan deal with the People’s Team. The forward’s season-long deal expires tomorrow and an official of the agency that manages the player toldThe Nationthat Venda have rejected Bullets’ request to extend the loan deal by another season. Said the official: “Bullets wrote Venda a week ago asking for extension of his loan, but Venda say no, that’s why he will not be able to play in the Castel [Challenge] Cup.” The Flames striker, who recently finalised nationality switch from Nigeria to Malawi, has since bade farewell to Bullets through a statement.
Part of the statement reads: “To a wonderful family, I would like to thank you for your massive support in the 2025 season. We failed to deliver the desired goal; otherwise we have lessons to face next. “Maule, my stay at the People’s Team has come to an end as I will be returning to my club Venda.
“I would like to thank the fans, fellow players and management of this club for the support, love and prayers. Your support helped me and Chiku [Chikumbutso Salima] to win the [TNM Super League Golden Boot Award, though it was not enough to give you the league. “Above all, I thank God for His love.
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He has taken us from afar and will keep thanking Him in good and bad times.” This season Babatunde has made 35 appearances for Bullets across all competitions, scoring 19 goals, including four that he netted in FDH Bank Cup. He also provided seven assists. As we went to press yesterday, Bullets acting chief executive officer Albert Chigoga had not responded to our questionnaire on the impact the player’s departure would have on the team.
But in a statement, the club hailed the striker for his contribution. Reads the statement: “A key factor in Adepoju’s success was his partnership with Chikumbutso Salima. The duo finished as joint top scorers in the TNM Super League and combined for team leading 18 assists this season, underscoring their understanding and team-work on the field. “Together, Babatunde and Salima were directly involved in 48 of Bullets’ 60 league goals this season, highlighting how central they were to the club’s attacking dominance.”
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