By Akeem Busari
The National Chairman of Nigeria Football Supporters’ Club (NFSC), Rev. Samuel Ikpea, has congratulated Enugu Rangers FC on their hard-earned Aiteo Cup final victory over Kano Pillars.
Rangers claimed its sixth Federation Cup title as it rallied back from a 0-3 deficit to level scores at 3-3 after regulations time, and eventually winning 4-2 on penalties, in a match that would go down in the annals of Nigerian football as one of the greatest comeback victories.
Ikpea, in a chat with the press described the match as ‘epic’. According to him the game brought back fond memories of the exploits of great teams as Mighty Jets, 3SC, Bendel Insurance, Stationery Stores and others in the championship.
“The match between Enugu Rangers and Kano Pillars was a great example of what we used to witness in the Challenge Cup. And I must congratulate both teams for their performance, and Rangers, particularly, for their never-say-die attitude during the match,” Ikpea remarked.
He went on to admonish club administrators to be resourceful and professional in handling the affairs of the clubs just as he lamented the unimpressive performances of Nigerian teams on the continent.
He regretted that the poor performance of Nigerian representatives at continental championship has negatively impacted on the status and representation of Nigerian teams in African club championships.
” It is unfortunate that our teams have not been doing well in continental championships. This has made CAF to reduce our representatives from four teams to two.
“In this regards, I want to implore the club administrators to be proactive and display true professionalism in the matters of their clubs, if we must regain our pride of place in continental and global football,” Ikpea added.
