From Emir of Kano, Khalifa Dr. Muhammadu Sanusi II, on Saturday, joined global dignitaries, including a renowned football coach of the England National team, Thomas Tuchel, at the 2025 Access Bank Polo Tournament, Surrey, England.
The Access Polo tournament, being tagged Khalifa’s cup in the last 10 years, has showcased top global elite champions and foremost dignitaries in attendance.
The 2025 edition also featured polo players who won laurels, including Dahiru Manga’s children,Tunde Folawiyo and a host of other champions drawn from different strata of life.
In an image shared on X @masarautakano handle, Sanusi was also joined at the global event alongside Governor Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina state and his Niger state counterpart, Umar Bago.
The event brought together dignitaries, celebrating sport, culture, and diplomacy with the Access Bank leaders, Chief Tunde Folawuyo, using this year’s tournament to raise funds for classrooms and education support across Northern Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the images of the robust engagement between Emir Sanusi and ex-Chelsea coach Tuchel shared on X @ArewaFactsZone sparked exceptional curiosity and excitement among followers of both Nigerian royalty and international football.
While the nature of their discussion has not been disclosed, the moment captured the imagination of fans across various communities, insinuating possibilities.
The London meeting between the Emir and Tuchel has since become a trending topic on X, with followers speculating about what may have brought the two influential figures together.
Some described it as “a power meeting,” while others took a more humorous route, joking about a potential Tuchel appointment to handle the Kano club side, Pillars FC.
But Emir Sanusi II, in a message sent through a close associate, Yushau Okanlawan, from London, however, revealed that His Highness and Tuchel joked about when Arsenal will win the Champions League, even as Tuchel boastfully regarded himself as the former coach of the pride of London that is Chelsea FC.
” But it was a chance meeting, and I am known as an Arsenal fan. So I told him I am an Arsenal fan and he said, “Arsenal is a very good club. You have just bought one of my players, Noni Madueke.
“Although Fuchel had managed Chelsea, it was clear he now considers all English clubs to be his as England manager and was quite at ease with this Arsenal fan”. Emir Sanusi said.
Thomas Tuchel, widely respected in the football world for his tactical acumen, famously guided Chelsea Football Club to UEFA Champions League glory in 2021. He remains one of Europe’s most sought-after coaches, known for his intellectual approach to the game and leadership in high-pressure environments.
Emir Sanusi, on the other hand, A former Governor of the Central Bank office Nigeria and an internationally recognised authority on Islamic finance, is celebrated for his reformist stance on governance, education, and economic policy.
His sharp intellect and candid opinions on social economy and government policies have earned him both admiration and controversy within and outside the public service.
After his career at CBN, Sanusi went back to school for his PhD in Islamic Law from the University of London.
He accomplished the academic pursuit in flying colours after completing his thesis on “Codification of Islamic Family Law as an Instrument of Social Reform: A Case Study of the Emirate of Kano and Comparison with the Kingdom of Morocco”.
