By Dayo Awoniyi
Rivers United FC has officially appointed Olanrewaju Yemi Daniel as its new Head Coach, the club announced on Friday.
Daniel replaces Evans Ogenyi, whose contract expired at the end of the season. The appointment forms part of Rivers United’s strategic efforts to bolster both technical staff and squad strength ahead of the new Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and CAF Champions League campaign.
Coach Yemi Daniel brings a strong pedigree to the role, having previously served with distinction at various top-tier Nigerian clubs. He was most recently instrumental in Enyimba FC’s NPFL title-winning campaign, working alongside Technical Adviser Finidi George.
Although he was linked with Rivers United last season, Daniel opted instead to take up the head coach role at Enyimba. Now, he joins Rivers United under a familiar setup, reuniting with Finidi in a coaching partnership that has already proven successful.
His previous experience also includes a stint as Assistant Coach with Nigeria’s U-17 national team, further underlining his developmental and tactical credentials.
Daniel’s appointment has been welcomed by the club’s supporters, who are hopeful the duo of Daniel and George can replicate their previous success and guide Rivers United to domestic and continental glory.
Preparations are already underway for the new season, with expectations high that Rivers United will challenge for major honours under the new coaching structure.
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.
