By George Akpayen Rangers International captain, Chinemerem Ugwueze, has admitted that they had “a bad day ay the office” after failing to start their title defence of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) with a win following a 0-0 draw with El-Kanemi Warriors on Saturday. The Flying Antelopes were favoured to breeze past their opponents, considering they were playing at their Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium home ground where El-Kanemi Warriors have failed to avoid defeat or score a goal in their last nine visits. Ugwueze is of the opinion that the titleholders are a better side than the outcome of the match on the first day of the season. “It’s a bad day at the office. The result wasn’t what we were expecting. I believe we are better than this but our plans didn’t go as mapped out. Really, it is just a bad day at the office,” the Rangers midfielder said. The Rangers captain however acknowledged that their inadequacies in front of goal remains “a thing of concern,” especially after dour performances over two legs in the CAF Champions League first round playoff against Comoros Island’s US Zilimadjou and now followed by another off-colour display with El-Kanemi Warriors. Ugwueze believes the team need time to work together in order to improve on their performances in subsequent matches this season. “Of course, it (our lack of goalscoring) is a thing of concern. Without goals there is no way you can win a game. We don’t want to use the word ‘a major problem’ considering the games we have played in the face of the goal drought. The league is just starting and I believe with time we will improve. It’s more difficult because of the CAF Champions League we have on ground. I believe with time we will get there. “There is always room for improvement (for the new signings) of course. The old players, many of them played one season for Rangers and were fortunate enough to be crowned champions last season. I think the new players won’t be exception as I believe with time if we work together definitely we will achieve (something),” said Ugwueze. With more matches fast approaching in the NPFL and CAF Champions League, the Rangers captain is optimistic that they will turn the corner after their languid start to the season. “We will do what we have to do (for the next games). The result was not okay for us but we will do what is necessary for us to do,” Ugwueze promised.

By George Akpayen Rangers International head coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu, has expresssed his disappointment with the outcome of his team’s first game in their Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title defence, branding it their “one of the worst games.” The Nigerian champions began their title defence at their Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium with a 0-0 draw against Cup holders El-Kanemi Warriors on Saturday and the former Heartland and Plateau United coach did not fail to bare his mind on the outcome. “Today is one of the worst games we have played in this stadium and I am very sad about it because we had our game plan and at times football is funny and things won’t go the way you expect it to go. I must say El-Kanemi Warriors are a good side because I know the team so well. Now we have to plan a way forward because the game has been played and it’s gone,” Ilechukwu said after the match. However, he recognises that they need to sit back and review their performances ahead of subsequent matches, starting with an important two-legged affair against Angola’s Sagrada Esperança in the CAF Champions League second round playoff. Ilechukwu is now concerned with their recent form in competitive games this season which has seen them win just once just once in three games and drawing two, considering the standard of their opponents. “It’s a general (team problem) thing. We have to sit down and analyse everything that happened today. (In this game) we did less than what people expected of us and even what we expected from ourselves. We won’t kill ourselves though it is a disappointing outcome but we must forge ahead. “It is very concerning (ahead of our CAF Champions League match against Angola’s Sagrada). This same (performance) thing happened in our last game on the continent and when things like this happen you have to realize that we have to sit down and start analyse our stats and putting heads together to find a solution especially as we have some days ahead to prepare for the next game,” Ilechukwu said. Rangers will face Sagrada Esperança in the CAF Champions League second round, first leg at home on the weekend of September 13 and 15 before heading to Angola the following weekend for the return leg with their league fixtures against Ikorodu City and Bayelsa United on Matchdays 2 and 3 in view.

By Ikenna Nwokedi Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions, Rangers International, kicked off the defence of their title with a goalless draw at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu on Saturday. The new season’s curtain raiser coincidentally was a meeting between two club sides that finished as champions of the league and FA Cup (now known as President Federation Cup) with the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau in attendance. The first half was a case of few chances from both ends as the sides failed to create a glorious opportunity with the half ending in a stalemate. Twelve minutes into the restart, Nasiru Salihu came close to breaking the deadlock but missed from a promising position after being set up by Aminu Mohammed in a swift counter-attacking move by El-Kanemi. In the 66th minute, Rangers goalkeeper Japhet Opubo made himself big to deny Jacob Jonathan whose effort was goal-bound. The Flying Antelopes almost won at the dead of the game but for a big save by El-Kanemi Warriors goalkeeper Abine George to deny Ifeanyi Onyebuchi’s goal-bound headed effort from a corner kick. Reacting after the match, El-Kanemi Warriors head coach, Aliyu Zubairu described the match as three points lost as his team created lots of scoring chances and should have won the game with the plethora of opportunities which came the way of his team. Match Details: Rangers Int’l: Japhet Opubo, Ikenna Steven, Evans Ogbonda, Austin Opara, Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, Ejike Ugochukwu, Chinemerem Ugwueze (Hillary Ekawu 71′), Kenechukwu Agu (Kareem Ogunleye 71′), Saviour Isaac, Ekeson Okorie (Bashir Usman 62′), Chiedozie Okorie (Onyekachi Okafor 62′). Unused substitutes: Lucky Abdullahi, Charles Okafor, Kenneth Igboke, Tekena Gerando, Frank Uwumiro, Williams Wonah. El-Kanemi Warriors: Abine George, Adamu Bajibir (Henry Ndedi 88′), Usman Abbas, Zayyad Musa, Muktar Mohammed, Monday Daniel, Al-Amin Umar, Nasiru Salihu, Gimba Ajiji, Aminu Mohammed (Suleiman Alabi Jojo 90+3′), Jacob Jonathan. Unused substitutes: Kolawale Oladipo, Bilal Yakubu, Ibrahim Mustapha, Suleiman Moreola.

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions Rangers in a bid to successfully defend their title have strengthened their playing personnel with one of their former strikers, Chikeluba Ofoedu. Rangers begin their title defence in the NPFL against El-Kanemi Warriors at the Nnamdi Azikiwe on Saturday and one of the areas the technical crew of the club has identified as a knotty area is in the striking position after they failed to impress over two legs in their first playoff round in the CAF Champions League against Comoros Island’s US Zilimadjou. Ofoedu, 31, has been brought in the add to the champions’ attacking personnel after leaving the club 12 years ago. Chico, as he is fondly called, netted 12 times in his only season with Rangers in 2011/12 before leaving to join Turkish side, 1461 Trabzon The striker, who last featured for Israeli side AS Ashdod in 2022, is also viewed as an additional to help in Rangers’ pursuit in the Champions League and President Federation Cup. Ofoedu is “excited” with the prospect of making a return to Rangers and the NPFL and believes the club can achieve “great things this season.” “I am very glad to have got another opportunity to appear in the colours of the great Rangers International FC, the champions of Nigeria league. I feel very excited. This was where it all started and I knew that a time like this was going to come and it has happened now. “I am very optimistic of continuing from where I left off the last time I defended the badge of this great club. We have a bunch of great talents around now and we are like a family since I joined in training and I believe that the unity will lead us to achieving great things this season,” Ofoedu told the club’s media after being unveiled. Rangers CEO/General Manager, Barrister Amobi Ezeaku, also believes that Ofoedu is an important addition to the club’s squad for the new campaign. “These are quality acquisitions to our team. Ofoedu is a great attacker of high repute. He featured for us sometime back and exported his talent to Europe from where he is returning to join forces with the squad to help us achieve our target for the season. Effimi Nsi, Williams Wonah, Ofokansi Michael, Onyekwere Nnaemeka and Daniel Onyia are all great footballers that we are glad to have gotten their signatures to defend the badge of Rangers. We are optimistic that the blending with other members of the team won’t take a long time,” said Ezeaku. Ofoedu will be available for selection when Rangers begin their title defence against El-Kanemi Warriors on Saturday.

By George Akpayen Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions Rangers International will begin their defence of their title with a fixture against El-Kanemi Warriors on the opening day of the campaign at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu on Saturday. Rangers will be hoping to ape the last two champions, Enyimba and Rivers United, before them, who began their title defence on a winning note but will however aim to go one higher at the end of the season, may be, by becoming the first club to win back-to-back titles for the first time in a decade when Kano Pillars achieved that feat in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Fidelis Ilechukwu and his men could however draw inspiration from the fact that Rangers have never dropped points in the last two decades whenever when they play hosts to El-Kanemi in the league and have yet to concede as well in the last nine corresponding fixtures. The Flying Antelopes began last season at home when they face Doma United at their adopted home ground in Awka where they won 2-1. Interestingly, both players who scored for Rangers in last season’s opening day – Kalu Nweke and Austin Onyemaechi – have swapped the white and red shirt for neighbouring rivals, Enyimba in the off-season window. Despite having the odds favouring them, the Flying Antelopes have started the season in their first competitive outing on a tepid note. Over two legs in the playoff of the CAF Champions League against Comoros Island’s US Zilimadjou, Rangers struggled to edge them 2-1 on aggregate, a result that raised concern if the Enugu side are ready for the long season which will see them compete on three fronts in the NPFL, the President Federation Cup and the Champions League. El-Kanemi Warriors, on the other hand, also did not cover themselves in glory in their playoff round against Benin Republic’s Dadje FC. They were knocked out of the CAF Confederation Cup. El-Kanemi head coach, Aliyu Zubairu, now has to prep his side for the task of navigating through the long season in the NPFL and later defending their Cup title. The Rangers versus El-Kanemi Warriors match will be live on StarTimes from 4pm this Saturday. The opening day of the season will also continue the following weekend of September 7 and 8 with nine other matches. Among the nine matches will witness one of the newly promoted sides, Ikorodu City will have their hands full when they make the trip to Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano to face former champions Kano Pillars. Also, new boys Beyond Limits play hosts to an experienced Enyimba side. OFF THE PITCH ACTIVITIES Ahead of the new season, the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) took steps to bring improvement. The league body organized seminars to cover security, media coverage, supporters as well as keeping the players and coaches abreast of new laws in the sport. NPFL chairman, Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye, explained that the investment in the workshops is to improve on previous seasons. “We are investing in the series of workshops which began with clubs’ Media Directors, the Chief Security Officers and Chairmen of Club Supporters because we aim to have a better season than we have had in the past,” he said. MATCHDAY 1 FIXTURES Saturday, August 31, 2024 Rangers v El-Kanemi Warriors Saturday, September 7, 2024 Beyond Limits v Enyimba Lobi Stars v Akwa Utd Kwara Utd v Niger Tornadoes Bendel Insurance v Rivers Utd Kano Pillars v Ikorodu City Plateau Utd v Katsina Utd Sunday, September 8, 2024 Abia Warriors v Remo Stars Sunshine Stars v Bayelsa Utd Nasarawa Utd v 3SC

Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye has expressed sadness at the death of Heartland FC Coach, Christian Obi and injuries sustained by some players of the club in an accident on Friday, August 23. Obi was a former Nigeria international goalkeeper and has been the Head Coach of the club in the last two seasons. Elegbeleye narrated that news of the incident filtered in slowly while the NPFL hosted Club Coaches to a workshop preparatory to the start of the new season. “We were hosting the NPFL Coaches, Captains and Team Managers to a workshop in Abuja, updating them on the new rules rolled out by IFAB when we read snippets from social media posts but could not immediately confirm the veracity. “It turned out to be true and it is devastating, it is cruel but at the end, we accept that this is life and death is inevitable”, lamented Elegbeleye. He extended condolence on behalf of the NPFL Board and the Clubs to the immediate family and friends of the deceased, and to the Management of Heartland FC and the Imo State Government. “Our thoughts are with his immediate and extended family, his friends, Heartland FC players and officials as well as to the Imo State Government”, stated the NPFL Chairman. He also wished those who sustained injuries in the accident “a speedy and full recovery to return to action on the field of play as soon as is medically possible”. “While we await further reports on the accident, we would like to assure the club that the NPFL would be in solidarity with them at this very difficult period”. According to reports, the accident occurred as the team comprising players and officials were on their way to Abakaliki for a pre-season tournament before their bus ran into a stationary vehicle while trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle in Okigwe. Obi was a member of the Flying Eagles team that finished third at the 1985 FIFA Youth Championship (now FIFA U20 World Cup) in Russia, beating the host nation on penalty shootout in the third-place match. Obi was second-choice goalkeeper but was thrown into the fray in the third-place match following injury to first-choice Aloysius Agu in the loss to Brazil in the semi finals. He was exceptionally agile in stopping three of Russia’s penalty kicks to hand Nigeria a 3-1 win. He would later be in the Nigeria Olympic football team to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Clubs Coaches, Captains and Team Coordinators have been charged to utilise knowledge gained from the workshop in Abuja to improve the quality of play in the new season which starts on August 31. Hon.Gbenga Elegbeleye, the NPFL Chairman made the charge in Abuja at workshop organised by the league body for the Coaches, Team Managers and Captains of the clubs ahead the season’s kick-off. “We are investing in the series of workshops which began with clubs’ Media Directors, the Chief Security Officers and Chairmen of Club Supporters because we aim to have a better season than we have had in the past. “We look forward to seeing parents come to the stadium with their children and not be have worries about their safety. They should watch a match and feel that they had value for their time and money”, remarked Elegbeleye. The NPFL Chairman who declared the workshop open, went on to assure the participants that the league would continue to invest in knowledge enriching schemes whenever the need arises. He also praised the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA) for the improvements observed in the last season, and urged them to improve on that performance in the new season. “We are not where we want to be yet, but we have moved very far from where we used to be. However, we will continue to seek improvement and this workshop is one of the strategies for growth of the league”, Elegbeleye stated. Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer in his welcome address told participants that they will have no reason to display ignorance of the rules after attending the training as the updated rules of international football will be shared. The workshop in Abuja was the last in the series before the start of the 2024/25 season.

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has mandated clubs to set up websites and support social media platforms to drive engagement and secure revenue streams from such platforms. This was part of the decisions reached at a one day summit for club media directors, which was held in Makurdi, Benue State on Friday. The summit was declared open by the Executive Governor of Benue State, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, who directed that the completion date for the rehabilitation of the Aper Aku Stadium, home ground of Lobi Stars be brought forward to eight weeks from ten weeks. Alia also promised to reconstruct the Gboko Township Stadium and other sporting facilities in the state. He also announced the purchase of three buses for Lobi Stars and promised that all outstanding payments would be made. At an interactive session with the Club Media Directors, the NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Prince Davidson Owumi informed the participants that a letter would be written to clubs that are yet to set up websites to do so within one month. Owumi also advised the Media Officers to invest in personal development in order to improve their skillset and contribute qualitatively to the development of their club’s engagement with their fans and communities. Resource persons at the workshop include the NPFL Director of Media, Harry Iwuala, who spoke on becoming an effective club media officer There were also presentations by Andrew Randa who dwelt on deploying multimedia tools to improve functions of the club media. Barrister Uche Egbe, the NPFL Head of Legal and Compliance, explained relevant codes of the Framework and Rules guiding the conduct of club officers. Other speakers at the event were Lazarus Ibeabuchi, Head of Public Relations at StarTimes, and Andrew Ekejiuba of GTI Assets Management.