Pastor Jimmy Odukoya, Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Church, has got social media buzzing again, and this time the talking point is football, not his marriage. A video circulating online shows the cleric praying for Manchester United during what looked like a normal church sermon, according to a report by Legit.ng.
Legit.ng reported that the clip was shared on Sunday, November 8, 2026, and was recorded inside Fountain of Life Church. In it, the pastor stands in front of a staircase covered in red carpet and delivers the prayer with obvious passion, while the camera cuts away at intervals to show a member of the congregation reacting to what he was saying.
From spiritual renewal to the Premier League
According to the outlet, Odukoya presented the Red Devils' difficulties this season as something that needed heavenly intervention. He reportedly began by drawing comparisons with spiritual renewal before switching fully into a prayer for the club. A summary of the story attached to the report indicates the prayer was for Manchester United to beat Aston Villa, although the full words of the prayer are not reproduced in the available report and that detail has not been independently confirmed.
Manchester United have a huge fan base in Nigeria, so a pastor praying for the club from the pulpit was always going to get people talking. Legit.ng summed up the online response simply: "Nigerians had plenty to say about his pulpit pivot into the Premier League."
A sensitive moment for the pastor
The timing of the video has added to the attention. Odukoya has been the subject of heated public discussion over his decision to remarry, and the football clip surfaced while that conversation was still going on. Legit.ng described the pastor as ignoring the controversy surrounding his marriage, though there is no indication in the report that he addressed the matter in the video.
The remarriage debate has drawn in other well-known names. Legit.ng separately reported that Mr Brown Afolabi, husband of media personality Morayo Brown, raised pointed questions about the pastor's appearance and personal choices. His remarks reportedly came during a conversation in which Morayo Brown had defended Odukoya's decision to remarry.
Instead of focusing only on the marriage question, Mr Brown reportedly shifted the discussion to what he described as a bigger issue that most people had been overlooking. The report does not detail the exact concern he raised beyond the pastor's appearance and personal choices.
Odukoya has not publicly commented on the reactions to the Manchester United prayer, according to the available report. For now, the clip has given Nigerians online something new to argue about, with church, football and the pastor's private life once again colliding in the comment sections.
