"I've spoken to a few people recently and they've all said the same thing," says Fankaty Dabo, more than a year after a series of events changed the landscape of his career. “They say memories in football are short. Everyone forgets what's happened and who you are. I've learned that football is very cruel."
Before the afternoon of May 27, 2023, former England youth international Fankaty Dabo had played an important role in Coventry City's steady rise.
After arriving from Chelsea in 2019 following a decade-long stay, he made an immediate impact for the Sky Blues and was named their Player of the Year after winning League One. Three years later — having averaged over 30 games per season — he was on the brink of helping Mark Robins' side reach the promised land.
But then it happened.
In a cruel twist, Dabo was the only player to miss from 12 yards as Coventry suffered a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to Luton Town in the Championship play-off final – a game worth an estimated £170 million in TV deals, sponsorship and revenue streams.
To this day, there is a constant reminder of that moment. Type his name into Google and the first two images that appear show his immediate reaction to the miss. And then there's the barrage of questions.
"Everyone still asks me about it," Dabo tells SPORTbible. "They always say something along the lines of, 'Oh, you missed a penalty and this has happened to your career'. It has become annoying. It could have changed a lot of people's lives but at the end of the day, someone had to miss."
A lot has happened since. Just three days after being on the cusp of Premier League football, he was on the hunt for a new club after being released by Coventry. A summer of uncertainty followed before League Two side Forest Green made an offer on deadline day.
Still, questions relating to that penalty miss continued. "The amount of people who have asked, 'Why did you end up at Forest Green after missing the penalty?' I don't know. Have you got the answer? If you've got the answer, then I'll take it, but it’s just football. It is what it is."
Fast forward to the most recent transfer window and with over 300 career appearances to his name, Dabo remained a free agent for several months after being released from his contract at The New Lawn Stadium.
In fact, he was still without a club when we spoke from his Gloucestershire home on September 19 but several days later, he would join Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers on a short-term deal – a move that has once again got people talking about that penalty and what could have been.
These past 16 months have been a rollercoaster of emotions. From the aftermath of last summer's play-off final to being publicly outed by former manager Troy Deeney, Dabo has plenty to say about one of the toughest periods of his football career to date. Ultimately, though, he just wants to enjoy playing football again.
"My little boy would love to see me play again," he smiles.
Fankaty Dabo is almost four months into being a free agent when we finally meet, but you wouldn't have guessed it.
"I'm honestly so laid back," he says, before bringing his wife into the conversation. "She is raging at me. She left two seconds ago and said, 'Why are you relaxed?’ but it always sorts itself out. I believe in God. I believe he will sort things out. There's always a way; whether it be football or something else. I don't understand what there is to be worried about."
It turns out Dabo, a devout Muslim, was right all along. Everything he said about being "sure" that something would materialise turned into reality as Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers came knocking with an initial short-term offer until January.
But as well as being confident about his chances of finding a new club, Dabo's views on being a footballer, and football in general, have changed of late.
“I've realised that football isn’t everything," he tells us. "There's so much more to life. Everyone isn't going to be wealthy enough to retire and never work again. You see a lot of footballers venturing out into different fields and expressing themselves, whether it's fashion or music."
"It’s funny," he smiles. "When I was younger, I'd see following that path and would think, 'What are you doing? You should be focusing on your football' but now I see it in a completely different light. There's more to life than football because when football ends, or if football doesn’t treat you great, then you’ve got another option."
It has been a frustrating spell on the sidelines for Dabo; there's no doubting that. He recalls watching people play every week and thinking, 'I know I've got more to give' as he trained on his own. That being said, spending quality time with friends and family has put things into perspective.
"I've been trying to reach out to my friends who are in the same position as me," he adds, before naming former teammates Michael Hector and Darnell Johnson as those he has spoken to. "You try and keep everybody's spirits up. It can be tough."
"It's so easy to feel like you've seen your friends with social media," he continues. "All they've got to do is upload a Snapchat or an Instagram picture and you feel like you've seen them. But really and truly, I haven't in months. That's what I've been trying to do in my spare time."
It sounds like Dabo has learned more about himself in the past 16 months than ever before.
"Did I fall out of love with football? Maybe last year."
It's easy to understand why given what happened towards the end of his time at Coventry; not to mention everything that happened with Forest Green, who suffered another relegation in April following a host of changes behind the scenes, including three different managers.
That penalty miss at Wembley felt like the start of a domino effect. "I just felt like I let a lot of people down," Dabo recalls, looking down at the ground. "I felt like I let my teammates down, the fans down, and my family down; all because life could have got a lot better for everyone.
"I’d say we weren’t a kick away from the Premier League because, as I've said previously, I was just keeping us in the game. But my teammates could have played in the Premier League last year, so it would have been a whole new experience for them.
"You feel like you let a lot of people down but when my teammate and coaches reassured me that I didn't, then it's like, ‘Okay cool’ and you try to move on."
He adds: "I'm not caught up on it because there are people who have missed bigger penalties than me... much bigger. So, who am I to be grieving as if it's the worst thing in the world? I don't really think about it until I'm asked. I'm buzzing to even have stepped up to take a penalty at Wembley."
Dabo can remember the evening of that play-off final defeat like it was yesterday.
“There were loads of people around me," he says. "All my family and friends came into my house, just to console me after what was almost a traumatic time. All the coaching staff wanted to make sure I was okay, as well.
“You live and you learn. In fact, I'd say it's helped me be more empathetic towards players who miss penalties. Previously, I looked at it and thought, 'Ah well he's missed' but now I've been in that position, I understand how it really feels."
Three days after the play-off final and it was announced that Dabo's contract would not be renewed by Coventry ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. At the time, it was portrayed to be a snap decision; a low blow after such a cruel moment. Dabo is keen to set the story straight.
"Me and the gaffer had a few conversations and you begin to understand that it's coming to an end," he said. "But everyone acted like he called me the day after the play-off final, but it was me. I pushed him for a response because I was going on holiday with my family, and I didn't want that looming over my head."
He goes on: "The question was whether I was going to get a contract or not. He really wanted to meet me and speak face to face, but I just said, 'Gaffar I'd rather just call me and let me know now. Whatever the case, I can just deal with it and then just go and relax with my family.’ We had a quick chat but it was simple enough."
One thing is for sure; there are no hard feelings towards Coventry City and their supporters, who were vocal in their support for Dabo last season.
"The fans are amazing," he grins. "They always had my back. Even when I go and watch a game now, I'm still viewed as almost a cult hero. I haven’t got a bad word to say about the club. Despite how it ended, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there."
This part of the interview was never going to be easy. After an uncomfortably long pause, Dabo composes himself. "I'm going to be completely honest with you,” he says. “I didn't enjoy it. It's nobody's fault but... I just didn't enjoy it. That's the most that I can say."
When it was announced that Forest Green had agreed a deal to sign such an experienced defender, the transfer was praised by many. David Horseman, who personally called Dabo to show his interest, described the full-back as being "way above" League Two level.
“He’s a brilliant person and an unbelievable leader," the former Forest Green manager said at the time, before saying a "massive thank you" to the club for getting it over the line.
Even though the topic is initially met with a slightly awkward silence, Dabo decides to go through his thought process behind the move.
"I just wanted to play," he says. "And up to that point, I thoroughly enjoyed football. I was thinking, as long as my family is fed, as long as we're alright, then I'll move. At the end of the day, I just wanted to enjoy it. As a kid, that's all I wanted to do — enjoy playing football. But it didn't turn out great. We live and learn."
The conversation then pivots to Troy Deeney and well, the look on his face says it all. “It is what it is,” Dabo says after another long pause. “He said it to me in the dressing room first. That's what he chose to do. I'm not mad about it.”
In fairness, he has every right to be mad given what Deeney said in public.
Just three weeks after being appointed Forest Green's head coach in late December following the departure of Horseman, Deeney delivered a scathing assessment of his team’s performance against Harrogate Town, and Dabo was in the firing line.
“Dabo was awful again and I’ve told him," Deeney said in his post-match interview. "He won’t be playing on Tuesday. He’s faster than anybody but he gets ran every game, he never makes a tackle, and every time the ball comes to him he looks like he kicks it with his shin pads."
It didn't end there. Deeney added: “He’s not been good enough for five, six, seven, eight, nine weeks now. Why do you think he was dropped at the start? I’ve told him in front of everyone that six months ago he had a kick to go to the Premier League, now he wouldn’t get a game in the National League.”
The former Watford striker would later apologise because, in his own words, some things should be kept in the changing room. A few days later, he was sacked, just six matches into his first job as a manager.
Things didn't get much better for Forest Green as they were relegated into the National League. A brief chat between Dabo and current manager Steve Cotterill followed.
"The manager called me into the office after we got relegated," the defender says. "He said, 'I want to go in a new direction.' I was completely fine with it. We just shook hands and went our separate ways."
After trialling the free-of-charge initiative last summer, the Professional Footballers' Association [PFA] introduced an intense 10-week programme at the end of June, where out-of-contract players would come together to maintain their fitness levels in preparation for the upcoming season.
Having previously trained on his own, Dabo thrived in an environment that encouraged teamwork, high standards and a regimented schedule that featured breakfast at 7am, a two-hour training session at 10am and an hour-long ‘well-being and personal development’ session – not to mention a post-training recovery class in the gym.
He may have fallen out of love with football last year but after joining the likes of Ravel Morrison and Dwight Gayle at the PFA’s summer camp, everything changed.
“It made me realise how enjoyable football can be,” admits Dabo. “I didn't enjoy my time there [at Forest Green] but when I went to the PFA camp, I was like, 'This is great. This is football. This is what being a team feels like.’ All of us know how tough and depressing it can be to train by yourself, so to be alongside people who are in the same boat was nice.”
As well as maintaining his fitness levels ahead of a summer move, Dabo built friendships with members of the group, which opened his eyes. “It’s interesting to see different perspectives on what you see in the media, because a lot of media stuff can be twisted,” he smiles. “You know what they say; there are three sides to every story. Your side, their side and the truth. So curating your own view on it is interesting.”
Now, after rediscovering his appreciation for the game, Dabo could make a much-anticipated return to the first-team fold on Saturday afternoon, when Raith Rovers take on Falkirk at Stark’s Park.
“Would I say that I’m going to kickstart my career again? No, but it's up to me – like it was last year – to prove how good I am," he says. "I just want to get back to a level where I'm playing good football. And I want to feel appreciated at a club who wants me.
"As long I put my mind to it and stay focused, I'm sure I'll be able to work my way up the ladder again.”
Featured Image Credit: Forest Green - Getty ImagesTopics: Scotland, EFL Championship, Premier League, Transfers
Jack Kenmare