By Wale Mustapha
General Manager of Enugu Rangers, Amobi Ezeaku, has accepted full responsibility for the club’s disappointing performance in the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season and pledged a comprehensive rebuild ahead of next term.
The Flying Antelopes, who lifted the NPFL title in the 2023/24 season, endured a sharp decline in form, finishing 10th on the log with 52 points from 38 matches.
The Enugu-based team also fell short in the 2025 President Federation Cup, bowing out at the semi-final stage.
Speaking to club stakeholders, Ezeaku acknowledged the failures of the past season and emphasized the importance of learning from the setbacks.
“Let me inform all that I take full responsibility for what happened at the club in the 2024/2025 season,” Ezeaku stated.
“In football, we must always use the lessons of a difficult season to prepare for a better one.”
Ezeaku added that the club has already begun the rebuilding process and assured fans of a stronger showing in the coming campaign.
“We were champions in 2023/2024 and ended this season in 10th spot while losing out in the semi-final of the President Federation Cup. We have learnt our lessons and have started taking actions,” he said.
The Coal City-based club is expected to make significant changes to its squad and technical setup ahead of the new NPFL season.
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.
