'They are scared' - Seth Mayi reveals why NPFL players choose to stay single, says he got proposal idea from TV

A week after grabbing the pre-match headlines by proposing to girlfriend Blessing Karimu, Akwa United midfielder Seth Mayi has revealed that most Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) players are solely focusing on their careers, not building a family as well, because they are scared.

Mayi, who was born in Jos, Nigeria, went down on one knee in front of his long-time heartthrob Karimu, prior to the Promise Keepers' away league fixture at Plateau United, requesting that she spends the rest of her life with him. 

It was a request that she willingly accepted to the excitement of watching fans at the New Jos Stadium, match officials, and an Akwa United team donned in 'Blessing Karimu, please say yes' t-shirts.

Seven days later, while recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained during what he might call the most important match of his life, Mayi has revealed in an interview with Pulse Sports that a lot of NPFL players see marriage differently than he does.

"One of the reasons many NPFL players don't want to settle down is because they are scared. Finding the right person scares everyone.

To some, if they get married, they feel it would be a distraction to their careers, but it all depends on the kind of partner that you have. A lot of them see life, and marriage from a different perspective than I do", he said.

"The reason I felt settling down now is the right thing is because I grew up in a home where family, meant everything to us.

For me, I always believed that if I found the right partner, I was going to get committed. Some people don't want commitment, they don't want to take responsibility for other people, they feel taking responsibility for themselves is hard enough", Mayi added.

According to the footballer's girlfriend-turned-fiancee, she was always told that being with Mayi was a risky path.

"I never dreamt of marrying a footballer. When I met him [Seth], I knew I had met a very nice person, the kind I had been praying to God to give to me. He's such a nice person, always encouraging me in everything that I do. I find joy in him, and he's the kind of person I really want to spend the rest of my life with."

"I love it when I see him playing. A lot of people say footballers are not good men, they love women. At certain times, it almost discouraged me, but he's the kind of man I want. I trust him that much." 

Mayi, who played for Nigeria's Super Eagles in July 2021 in a friendly game with Mexico, says Karimu is his motivation, although he has four more.

"I once saw something similar happen a long time ago, a football highlight on TV. A player scored and went into the crowd to propose to his girl.

Football is something I love very much, and I'm a love kind of guy. I thought I'd mix both."

"Before I even met Blessing, it was always on my mind to propose to the love of my life on the football field. I got the opportunity, it was the right time, I did it and it was amazing.

"She's a very big source of motivation for me (never a distraction). Even the times I don't want to go for training, she always pushes me and encourages me. And I tell her, you don't even know how difficult it is to train, but she'd keep pushing me.

"I particularly call my niece Inspiration, that's because she inspires me. Although, her name is Jochebed.

"And then there's my mother and my younger sister. My brother's wife inspires me too. She recently came into the family but blended in like we grew up together.

"Asides from my fiancee, these four women inspire me a lot, especially my mother. Sometimes, she's saying to me, leave this football and go to school [before I went fully pro], but she'd come back the next day, and ask if I don't have I match to play today."

"My sister was always there to cheer me on whenever I played in grassroots competitions, and local championships. It's always been wonderful", he said.

While the proposal was 'wonderful', Plateau United ensured the day did not end wonderfully for defending champions Akwa United, inflicting a 3-0 defeat Mayi called "disappointing". 

It was the Promise Keepers' fourth defeat of the season - just one defeat short of the five they had the previous season they won the league.

But Mayi does not believe playing catch up on current league leaders: Rivers United is a herculean task. 

"The league is still far from over, we're still some games to the end of the first round. We [Akwa United] are picking up well.

"The team have a target to be among the top three on the log before the end of the first round. I'm sure we can replicate what we did last season", he concluded.