By Victor Enyinnaya on November 27, 2023

Thanks so very much precious numerous readers of this column after last week’s article which you not only celebrated my return to the beat but also thumbed up for its analytical nature and precision. I say thanks and add that you all dear loyal readers have been the reason for my being here thus far.

This week, we will together take trip to Aba, Abia State where the most successful club in the country, Enyimba International Football Club is based.  

Let me confess that I have this while constrained myself from commenting about the football team which its management over these years, after that historic back to back victory in the prestigious CAF Champions League concentrated more in buying and selling of players rather than building a strong and vibrant team.   Sadly, the then Felix Anyansi Agwu led board went into their comfort zone very relaxed and making their foreign currency at the expense of the future of the club, after selling their choice players to bigger club sides in Africa competing with the Aba based side.

The former management crippled the team after achieving the fate of breaking the CAF Champions League jinx. Felix Anyansi Agwu became an emperor. He was the beginning and end in Enyimba. The quest for further success became secondary for the team. Agwu and his management team became bereft of fresh ideas. He used Enyimba to make friends all in his bid to build his future in football administration which earned him where he is today.

During His tenure, he used Enyimba anyhow. Give to him however, the team stayed afloat and her presence strongly in the NPFL and CAF Champions League or its second tie, CAF Confederation Cup.  But it was obvious that Enyimba was steadily declining in potency amongst the highly rated and as dreadful as topmost teams in African circle.   

Let it be vividly pointed out here that Felix Anyansi Agwu’s failed to build Enyimba team into the status of building it into the bracket of being as solid as rock of Gibraltar which would have solidly shored it up the ladder amongst topmost African clubs today.    

Before the rug was finally pulled off his feet, Enyimba was already notably becoming shadow of itself that very year when Rivers United raided the Abia State owned team.  One must point out that the past eight years of waste in the State by Okezie Ikpeazu crippled every segment of endeavour in the State drastically which also affected and slowed the team down and it became openly vulnerable  and weak till this day.

This once upon a time power packed side on field of play rather became predictable, to the extent that even minnows in NPFL stretches it to its limit in league games.  The story of Enyimba became self inflicted all these while.

They won last season’s abridged league play –offs because of the quality of players it paraded. I personally covered the competition and saw for myself the spirit and carriage of the players. The solidness and confidence of the side then was so dripping.  The players were ready to confront any team and carry their heads high at the end of the day. It paid off handsomely.

It was why they calmly survived the intimidation of especially Rivers United the team it won the NPFL at their expense. The Agwu led management closed their eyes and watched the entire players that won the league left.  Pardonable would be, the few that found teams abroad.  Enyimba was left almost empty hence, the once upon a time most feared side is a shadow of itself today.  In short, one team that you dare not stick out your neck for.   

However, when Dr. Alex Chioma Otti defeated lame duck Okezie Ikpeazu and his candidate.  Otti also dared and replaced Felix Anyansi Agwu. He brought in an inexperienced football administrator, ex-international Kanu Nwankwo to chair the high profile team.  Let it be said loud and clear that I don’t have anything against whoever he brought and felt would be result oriented for his administration to move forward.

The young man came with his team and started work. One must be honest to say that the terrain has not been so easy for him and his team to trend on.  For instance, though past Enyimba could not go beyond second leg of CAF Champions League and same with the bigger league that is being experimented with eight top teams in the continental club football circle.  At the NPFL level, the Aba team is yet to found her feet.

This columnist after critically reading the story on and on, expected Kanu Nwankwo to put a lie on the very damming exposure by his coach. Till today nothing came from Nwankwo. So Finidi was right and doing his best with the kind of players he was handed over to work with. Meant, that Kanu Nwankwo and Ifeanyi Ekwueme, technical director of the team, and his age old friend recruited low quality players for the coach and a team like Enyimba that has track record and high pedigree in NPFL and African continent.

Enyimba has been on the receiving end since the kick-off of the season. Inconsistency has been the lot of the team of late.  It is so bad that where it wins sparingly though, it is always with struggles at home. Oftentimes, the teams have picked draws in their home ground or even Enyimba loses at home too.  It is as worst as that now with the current Enyimba team.  

Worrisome is that, Kanu Nwankwo has refused to refute or admit George Finidi’s dirty and unprofessional revelation about Nwankwo.  The former Africa Footballer of the Year has acted like typical Nigerian politician that are bigger than those they claim “voted” for them.

Fact is that, since after that Finidi’s revelation Kanu has put few things in place to encourage or the mechanism that would make the players aim high in their games.  That was Kanu’s tactics which diverted the attention and focuses off those witty revelations by Finidi. But truth is that, what is biting in the team now even has intensified terribly. Low performance still persists because of the caliber of players Kanu Nwankwo and his agents recruited for the team.

That he was a great player which many even variously described him as a cat with nine lives during his magical and flourished active football days, cannot be same with football administration. The season is gradually drawing and teams that set their priorities right are steadily stabilizing at the expense of weaker sides like Enyimba, Heartland and their likes.  Both teams have no business being that low ranked category if not for clueless administrators.

Kanu Nwankwo owes the teeming supporters of the Peoples Elephant thorough explanation on that revelation by George Finidi.  He cannot just sweep it under the carpet like that or acting deaf and dumb won’t be solution either. Daily Sports and this columnist are keenly watching as the team is sadly wobbling and fumbling in the ongoing NPFL.

Keep shooting hard till next week, meanwhile we wait!!      

Source Daily Sports Nigeria

Posted November 27, 2023

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