“Amazement” about the new addition
Former club denies moving to the 2nd Bundesliga
Jan 2, 2026 – 10:51 p.mReading time: 1 Min.
Kennedy Okpala is moving to SC Paderborn. His previous club is astonished by the sudden change – and denies its implementation.
SV Waldhof Mannheim reacted “with astonishment” to Kennedy Okpala’s alleged move to second division club SC Paderborn. The third division club emphasized in a statement on its website that Okpala had terminated his current contract at the end of the year and did not show up for training on Friday. “Such behavior will not be tolerated by SV Waldhof Mannheim 07. Kennedy Okpala is still a player at SV Waldhof,” the club made clear.
Hours earlier, SC Paderborn had reported the 21-year-old’s transfer as perfect. According to East Westphalia, Okpala is said to have signed a long-term contract. The player will travel with Ralf Kettemann’s team directly to the training camp in Belek, Turkey, it was said.
SC managing director Sebastian Lange explained: “We are very pleased that Kennedy has chosen us and wants to take the next step in his career at SCP07. He has enormous potential for development, is fast, can be used on both feet and can be used flexibly in the offensive. This makes him a perfect fit for the Paderborn path.”
This season, Okpala scored seven goals and prepared five more in 18 games for Mannheim. Since moving to SV Waldhof in 2021, he has played a total of 71 third division games, in which he contributed 16 goals and six assists.
