Permit me to pay a special tribute to a great football club this week - Rangers International Football Club of Enugu. Many would wonder why I am doing so, knowing that the football club was the greatest rival to the club I played for through most of my football career – IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan. Between the two clubs, Rangers and Shooting Stars of Ibadan, they defined and set the agenda for football development in Nigeria for almost two decades. Some of the best and most reliable friends that I cultivated through the course of my life in sports, even to this day, came from Rangers FC. Our friendship has been deep and strong, and sustains to this day! Incidentally, the last year of my football career also marked the last time Rangers International won the most prestigious football title in the land – the national league. That was some 32 years ago! That’s how long it has taken them to re- mount the podium of victory once again. I will not blame any young person below the age of 32, therefore, that wonders why I would dedicate my entire column this week to write about a team that, all things being equal, will become the next champion of the Nigerian Premier League this weekend. It is not the feat itself that is significant but the story of the team; where it has come from; what it represents in the story of Nigeria; and what its current achievement means to football and to the country as a whole. There will be jubilation and celebration in several towns and villages around Nigeria today when Rangers finally lifts the trophy that has eluded them for so long. This club was raised from the ashes of the Nigerian Civil war in 1970, its significance rooted in the name given to it by one of its founders, the late Justice Ikpeazu. When the war ended and was declared ‘No Winner, No Vanquished’ by the then Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, it was clear that the Igbo people needed more than those words to bury the humiliation of surrender and to spearhead a full psychological and physical re- integration into the main stream of social life and political engagements in the country, devoid of the stigma of a conquered people. The Igbos, a very proud and hardworking people, with an awesome reputation for their industry and commercial sixth sense, needed a get-out-of-jail card for their re-entry to a new Nigeria. The leadership anchored their intention to an innocent weapon that they believed would not fail - a football club named after one of their most devastating weapons during the civil war, a cannon that inflicted massive destruction on the enemy, called the Ranger! The political leaders at the time, including Dr. Jim Nwobodo, the first civilian governor of Enugu State, founded the football club and called it Enugu Rangers Football Club. Not many people knew that during the most bloody civil war in history, that claimed over two million Nigerian lives on both sides of the conflict, the war was temporarily halted (voluntarily by both armies) so that the fighting soldiers of both armies could listen to the radio commentaries of a football match between Santos FC of Brazil, and a Nigerian selected side at the King George V Stadium, in Onikan Lagos, that featured the legendary Pele. That match was a clear demonstration of how much Nigerians loved and followed their country’s number one sport. The Igbos latched onto that passion and presented this all-conquering football club, to fast-track and catalyse their return. In 1970, the march of Rangers Football Club of Enugu began. That year it got to the finals of the FA Cup and lost narrowly. The following year, and for the next decade, it dominated Nigerian football like no other club had ever done in the history of the country, and achieved for the Igbo people what guns could not on the battlefield! Rangers International FC conquered Nigerian football, winning everything in the land by playing football crafted from the battlefields of Biafra – physicality, ferocity, skills, det

WE TOOK RANGERS BACK TO THE FANS – AMOBI EZEAKU
With Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and members of Rangers Board
The fans of Rangers International of Enugu would certainly be in cloud nine if by the
last match day their darling club lifts the season title of the Nigeria Professional
Football League (NPFL).
Coach Imama Amapakabo and the Rangers management led by Ozor Paul Chibuzor
obviously did huge spade works to turn around the fortunes of the club as they gave
and seem now to be fulfilling a promise from the beginning to finish the season’s
campaign on high.
The feat will bring to end a 32-year title drought since the club last lifted the title and if
that happens it would be more of a victory for two important segments of the club –
the youth and the fans.
Not only did the management assemble a set of very talented youngsters to form the
core of the team, Rangers believed much more in youth as they elected to engage a
very young Amobi Ezeaku as team manager.
Born in 1989 of Nsukka parents, 27 years old Ezeaku, educated as a lawyer, was not
yet formed by 1984 when Rangers last lifted the title but he is looking a sure fit to
inspire and bring out the best from his peers on the field.
Interestingly, even the League Management Company (LMC) also saw value in engaging
the young Amobi Ezeaku as team manager of the NPFL All Stars to the LaLiga World
tour.
In this interview with www.sportstalkafrica.com Ezeaku shares with Fred Edoreh of
www.sportstalkafrica.com his experience as the youngest team manager in Nigeria’s
elite league and for a club as big as Rangers International. Importantly, he reveals that
the tonic in the resurgence of Rangers is in the fact that though the club is funded by
the Enugu State Government, it is run by the fans.
Sportstalkafrica: As a young hand in club management what has the experience been
like for you?
Ezeaku: The experience has been memorable. You know, it is my first time as a team
manager. I came on board as the youngest team manager in the country. It has been
tasking but to the glory of God and following the laid down rules of the LMC and the
guidelines of the NPFL, I have been able to cope.
Generally, it has been a wonderful experience and there has not been any serious case
to complain about.
The league has tremendously improved with a lot of innovations and initiatives by the
LMC.
Sportstalkafrica: As the youngest team manager in the NPFL what challenges have you
encountered managing a club as big as Rangers with such huge tradition and array of
stakeholders?
Ezeaku: The challenges are enormous. You know, people in this part of the world do
not believe the youth should be left to do certain things but to the glory of God we
have been able to break through this barrier and look at where we are today.
I will say that being anxious with the desire to break new grounds has helped us to
sustain the tempo. There have been pressures on me as a young person handling a
club as big as Rangers. Rangers is a household name, a big brand but it has not been
difficult for me by the grace of God and because of the good leaders good put me in
their midst.
Sportstalkafrica: For about three decades Rangers fired blank as far as the league title
is concerned. What has informed the revival of the club this time around?
Ezeaku: It is true that after 1984 we have not ben able to win this title. When we came
on board this season we realized that the players are good but many are with shallow
mentality. We liaised with the board, the technical director and Coach Imama
(Amapakabo) and we started series of lectures focused on building their mentality, their
psychological strength. That went a long way to rekindle the ‘never say die’ spirit and
the will to win. Psychology is very important as far as modern football is concerned.
Then, we took action on the welfare of the players. The state government decided to
take it upon itself to ensure that the players and officials are very comfortable, happy
and enthusiastic. This brought a great departure from what obtained in the past.
Rangers now is truly a professional club but the pillar remains God. That makes
Rangers a God fearing team and then we choose to remain and abide by the philosophy
of the club. The players and the coaches are tactically sound, so the players’ major
role is to abide with the instructions of the coaches and I thank God we have come
this far.
Sportstalkafrica: Talking about God, at a point during the season, you nicknamed your
home ground, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, “The Cathedral.” How did that come about?
Ezeaku: (Laughing) Yes, the Cathedral just happened. We have this segment of our
supporters called ‘the 12th man’. There was a day they were mobilising fans to come
to the stadium on white apparels and some one asked “is this a white garment church?”
And one of the 12th man retorted “Yes, it is our Cathedral.” Then everybody caught it
and, to the glory of God, we are happy that the Cathedral has not failed us. We bless
clubs every time the come to the Cathedral.
Sportstalkafrica: And then, there was a great resurgence in your support base with
overflowing match day spectatorship. How did you achieve that?
Ezeaku: Everybody chose to work together. The government, the board of Rangers, all
of us understood and we passed the message to the fans that the club belongs to
them. The club does not belong to any of us. It does not belong to the Team Manager
nor the Technical Adviser but to them. So, we took the club back to the fans. Every
Rangers supporter has that sense of belonging. He has that sense of ownership, that
he has a say in Rangers. After some games, we provide a forum where we interact with
the supporters. They tell us their fears, they tell us what they feel we should do.
Rangers is more or less a community club. Look at our match day 36 game against
Sunshine Stars, even in the rain the fans came to support.
We organise ad hoc lectures for the fans. We have been able to re-orient the fans. We
have instilled in them the understanding that in modern football ‘fanship and
supportership’ is not about violence, not about throwing stones and such other objects
that are not recognized in the game. The fans are simply orderly and supportive. We
believe by next season the level of supportership, the ideas will be greater. You saw
the Mexican wave they did in our match against Nasarawa United. It brought out the
excitement and enjoyment of the game. We believe that by next season when we play
in the NPFL and the continent (CAF Champions League) we will see a lot more good
things from the fans.
Sportstalkafrica: It was a bit of surprise that being a very young person and still in your
first year as team manager of a club, the LMC chose you as team manager of the
NPFL All Stars team to the LaLigaWorld tour. How was that experience for you?
Ezeaku: It was a great experience. Let me quickly thank the LMC and the NFF (Nigeria
Football Federation) for deeming it fit to pick me as team manager for that trip. I must
state that we learnt a lot of things in the process. I was able to understand that the
LaLiga don’t joke with their football, the culture and the structure of their club sides.
We were able to bring that down to Nigeria. We believe that by next season a lot of
clubs will exhibit their culture and re-organise their structure. The trip was memorable
and instructive tactically, managerially and otherwise. I thank God we embarked on that
trip to Spain and we hope for many more similar exposures.
Sportstalkafrica: It seems almost certain that Rangers will win the title. The worry for
many Nigerian fans is about the quality of game and representation by Nigeria clubs in
the continental competitions. Can Rangers make the difference again for Nigeria?
Ezeaku: In Rangers we believe in one game at a time. We will win the league by God’s
grace and we hope to do well and make Nigeria proud in the continent. We are not just
going to the continent to be numbered. We are going to the continent to make an
indelible impression, an impression that will last a long time and bring fame and pride
to the Nigeria Football Federation, to the League Management Company and to the
entire nation.
Sportstalkafrica: What has been your involvement in sports or football before getting
into Rangers as team manager?
Ezeaku: I have been in football from my school days. I captained the University of
Nigeria, Enugu campus, and the University of Nigeria team to the NUGA (Nigeria
Universities) Games and the West Africa Universities Games (WAUG). I also captained
the NYSC national team headed by Coach Rotimi Salau. I was also in the national
teams, Flying Eagles and the Dream Team before I ventured into club management. .
When I left the Dream Team camp, I tried out with Wikki Tourists before hanging my
gloves and, to the glory of God, I did my National Youth Service with the NFF under
Barrister Okey Obi. My life has been about football and more seriously so in the past 15
years. December last year the Enugu State Government asked the board to re-organise
Rangers and I was invited to the interview and they subsequently appointed me team
manager of Rangers. That is the journey so far.
Sportstalkafrica: What course did you study in the University?
Ezeaku: I studied law at the University of Nigeria. I went to Nigeria Law School, Bwari
Campus. Even while in the Law School, we had to build a team and played against the
Bwari Community. We did some charity there. We believe football can actually be an
instrument of societal peace and promotion of friendship. Passing through law, the
laws of football was made easier because after each game your brain opens up to grab
the cases and the position of the various laws.
Sportstalkafrica: Are you single or married? Tell us about that other side of life and
how you cope being almost always away from family.
Ezeaku: (Chuckles shyly) Well…I am not married but I am in a relationship. But then my
family and parents are coping with the fact that I run the club as team manager.
Sometimes they express worries. I remember when we went to play El Kanemi and I
called my people to say the pre-match meeting was at night, they kept calling and
calling that I had to leave the meeting and go back to the hotel room. Still, they have
remained supportive and I thank them for their love and support.
Sportstalkafrica: So, you are in a relationship. Tell us about her…
Ezeaku: (Bursts into prolonged laughter) Like I said earlier, I am in a relationship and I
hope to the glory of God to settle down soon.
Sportstalkafrica: What’s her name?
Ezeaku: (Can’t stop laughing) I choose not to share that.. (continues laughing)

So it's an unprecedented 1 hr broadcast build up for the final MD between Rangers Int'l and El Kanemi.
It's the first time ever we are having that amount of time for a build up to a domestic league game.
We are live from 3pm.... Some serious package I dare say for those who probably have the best seat in the house....
Let's make the day trend on social media with #NPFL2016
Live on supersport and AIT

Up Rangers

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Up Rangers

Amapakabo, Egbuchulam Win SupportTheNPFL Award

It was an overwhelming victory for coach of Rangers International, Imama Amapakabo, after he was voted as the SupportTheNPFL Manager of the Season.

The coach pooled 84 percent of votes ahead of Wikki Tourists coach, Abdu Maikaba, in second position with paltry seven percent votes. Other coaches voted for in the first ever award by the online site are IfeanyiUbah coach, Rafael Everton (five percent) and Stanley Eguma of Rivers United (three percent).

In the Player of the Season category, Rangers’ Chisom Egbuchulam, won with 48 percent votes while top scorer, Godwin Obaje, of Wikki Tourists finished second with 36 percent votes. IfeanyiUbah Ismaila Gata polled 15 percent votes while Rivers United skipper, Festus Austin, finished last with one vote.

The award organiser, Akinlolu Alonge, said it was a way of encouraging the players and managers who are the main actors of the game.

“We are delighted to honour the stars and managers in the NPFL, it is a platform to encourage them so that they can do better next season,” Alonge said.

“We decided to make the voting open to people who have been following the league and the response was overwhelming. It shows that people have started following the league. “The winners will receive their awards in Enugu on Sunday when Rangers host El-Kanemi Warriors.”

He further revealed that the first edition was sponsored by Yarmalight FC proprietor, Farouk Yarma, while also calling on other sponsors to partner with them ahead of next season.

Ranger