NPFL: Brown Ideye Expresses Excitement Over Enyimba Debut

By Saheed Afolabi

Former Nigerian international, Brown Ideye, is thrilled to have marked his return to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) with a debut for Enyimba International in Aba.

Despite Enyimba’s recent 1-1 draw with Bendel Insurance, which came after the sacking of their coach Yemi Olanrewaju, Ideye was excited about his return to the Nigerian top-flight. However, he expressed disappointment at coming on late in the match, stating that he had hoped to feature earlier.

“I feel good. I was expecting to come on earlier, but the coach knows best. So far, I’m feeling great,” Ideye told the press in Aba.

Ideye also shared his views on areas where Enyimba needs to improve as they head into the second round of the season. “For me, I think we still have a lot to learn. The league is still young. This is just the end of the first round. We still have the second round to play,” he said.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner encouraged his teammates to address their weaknesses, strengthen their unity, and work towards improving their goal-scoring abilities in the second half of the season.

“We need to work together as a team, correct the mistakes that make it difficult for us to win, and be more clinical in front of goal. We’ll strive to deliver good results in every match,” Ideye emphasized.

He also noted the growth of the NPFL, which played a key role in his decision to return to the league. “For me, I’d say there’s been a little improvement, but not much. We can’t compete with European leagues overnight, but we’ll get there. My return to the league is a positive step,” he added.

Enyimba finished the first round of the 2024/2025 NPFL season in ninth place with 24 points from 16 matches.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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