Enyimba F.C.
Aba, Abia, Nigeria | |||
Capacity | 16,000[citation needed] | ||
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Owner | Abia State Government | ||
Chairman | Nwankwo Kanu | ||
Coach | Finidi George | ||
League | Nigeria Professional Football League | ||
2022–23 | Nigeria Professional Football League, 1st of 20 [1] | ||
Website | Club website | ||
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Enyimba Football Club or simply known as Enyimba, is a Nigerian professional
History
Early years
The club was founded as a state-owned club in November 1976 by Jerry Amadi Enyeazu, who was the first Director for Sports in the newly-established Imo State, a province in southeast Nigeria.[5] In August 1991, Imo State was divided further and Abia State was created from the part of Imo which included the city of Aba, Enyimba's hometown, so the new state government took over as owners of Enyimba.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Enyimba struggled to make a notable impact as the traditional powerhouses such as
In their first season in the top division, Enyimba finished 13th out of 16 clubs, winning just five out of 30 games with a goal difference 25–36. In the following season, they won eight games but still finished 15th with 36 points, just one point short from escaping relegation behind Stationery Stores, and were relegated to second level for the 1992 season. Enyimba then stayed in the second level for the next two seasons before winning promotion in 1993, finishing first with 29 wins out of 46 games, winning a record 96 points with a goal difference 64–25, with most goals scored and fewest goals conceded in the 24-team league.
Back in top level, their string of good results continued, and they finished the 1994 season third, behind
Shirts sponsor 2003 Gulder 2004. 2005 2006. Conil 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011. Dubic 2012 2013 2014 2015. - 2016. - 2017. - 2018. - 2019. - 2020. - 2021. 10bet 2022
Joma has been their kit manufacturer from 2010.[6]
Home ground
Enyimba currently uses the
Rise to prominence
Enyimba's fortunes began to change in 1999 when
The appointment soon returned results, with Uwa leading Enyimba to their first Nigerian championship title in the 2001 season, as well as winning the
The People's Elephant experienced international football for the first time in August 2001, when they were invited to play Internazionale at San Siro in a charity friendly which marked the return of Ronaldo after a 21-month injury layoff and saw Enyimba thrashed 7–0 with four goals from Christian Vieri.[8]
They also had their first appearance in a continental competition in the
The defeat proved to be another turning point in the history of the club as it was the main cause for the club's rebuilding of what used to be a substandard playing pitch into the Enyimba International Stadium, a 15,000 capacity stadium equipped with floodlights, electronic scoreboard and covered seats, which was later inspected by the CAF president Issa Hayatou and was officially approved for that year's CAF Champions League matches.
The club went on to win their second successive league title in 2002, and then became the first Nigerian club to win the continent's premier international club competition in the 2003 CAF Champions League by beating Ismaily of Egypt 2–1 on aggregate, under coach Kadiri Ikhana.[9][10] This was also the first time since 1996 that a Nigerian club had reached the final of the competition. Several key players from Enyimba's 2003 continental success have since gone on to play for Nigeria (Vincent Enyeama, Obinna Nwaneri and Onyekachi Okonkwo) and Benin Republic National Team (Muri Ogunbiyi).[11]
Enyimba then successfully defended their title as they won their second consecutive African Champions League title in
2003–2008: awards
In
These two Champions league victories in the hands of West African teams, plus the second
2008–09 season
The team finished third in the Premier League with 64 points. On 12 July, Enyimba defeated Sharks FC by a lone goal at the
2012–13 season
The team was on course to reclaim the League title from Kano Pillars but crowd trouble forced the match to be abandoned. A rearranged match on 9 October 2013 in Lokoja saw them lose to Pillars who eventually won the league with 63 points while Enyimba finished with 62 points.
Enyimba would however go on to win the
2013–14 season
The 2013–14 season started in abysmal form for the People's Elephants. They were knocked out of the
The team eventually finished second in that Premier League season with 64 points. They finished behind Kano Pillars who they beat 3–1 on the last day of the season. It was a campaign that saw them win just 1 out of their 6 Oriental Derbies, the only win being a 2–1 home win to Rangers International. State Rivals Abia Warriors beat them 1–0 in Aba, Cletus Itodo getting the decisive goal. They also dropped points in Aba to Giwa FC and Heartland of Owerri.
Enyimba striker
The season ended on a high like the previous season as Enyimba won the 2014 Edition of the Federations Cup at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on 23 November 2014, beating
2016 season
The 2016 season was not so favorable for People's Elephants as end the season being ninth on the league with 50 points.[14]
2017 season
Enyimba finished third in the league with 61 points. The third position saw Enyimba qualify to represent
Honours
Domestic
- Nigerian Professional Football League
- Nigerian FA Cup
- Champions (4): 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014
- National Second Division
- Champions: 1993
- Nigerian Super Cup
- Champions (4): 2001, 2003, 2010, 2013
Continental
Current squad
As of 12 February 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Performance in CAF competitions
- CAF Champions League: 8 appearances
- CAF Confederation Cup: 3 appearances
Coaching history
Notable players
References
External links
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