By Wale Mustapha
Enyimba FC’s Technical Adviser, Stanley Eguma, has attributed his team’s recent disappointing performances in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) to fatigue and stress from congested fixture schedules.
The Peoples’ Elephants were unable to secure a home win against Heartland in their Matchday 21 encounter on Thursday, settling for a 1-1 draw. This result extended their winless run to five games in the top flight of Nigerian football.
Eguma pointed out that Enyimba’s packed schedule, which has seen them play three league games within the span of just seven days, has played a major role in their struggles.
“Like I said before, we’re experiencing some fatigue in the team, considering our tight schedule from the beginning of this month (January),” Eguma said.
“We’ve been playing two matches every week since January. We just returned from Ilorin two days ago, only to play today (January 30, 2025), and tomorrow we’ll be traveling to Bauchi to face Lobi Stars. These players have been constantly on the road, and the wear and tear are significant.”
Eguma expressed hope that his side would continue working hard to overcome the challenges posed by the fixture congestion.
“We’ll keep pushing and working hard to overcome the stress and fatigue in the team,” he added.
Enyimba will face Lobi Stars in Bauchi on Sunday for their Matchday 22 encounter.
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.
