Former African champions Enyimba’s latest quest to become the first Nigerian club to win the prestigious CAF Confederation Cup ended in disgrace after they were thrashed 3-1 by title holders Zamalek of Egypt in the final Group D match played last Sunday at the iconic Cairo International Stadium.
Enyimba were simply outclassed, overwhelmed, and disgraced by the hosts who exploited their defensive weaknesses to cruise to another convincing victory. Playing like amateur players, the ‘Peoples Elephants’ almost didn’t put up any resistance as Zamalek toyed with them all through the match. Enyimba and Super Eagles’ B goalkeeper, Ani Ozoemena, summed up the disgraceful outing with a shocking howler when he gifted Zamalek one of the three goals.
The exit of Enyimba didn’t come to many as a surprise because, in recent times, no Nigerian club has shone in the continent. It is an open secret that the NPFL clubs that have featured more regularly in continental competitions in recent times are Rivers United, Enyimba, Remo Stars, Rangers and Kano Pillars but their outings in CAF’s inter-club competitions have been anything but satisfactory.
Whenever they are matched with clubs from North Africa, they are easily beaten by their more professional opponents. However, there was a time when North African clubs also struggled to play against Nigerian clubs.
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It will be recalled that Enyimba’s two CAF Champions League titles came at the expense of North African clubs. In 2003, Enyimba edged out Algerian giants, USM Algers 3-2 on aggregate in one of the semi-finals before the 2-1 victory over Ismaily of Egypt in the final match. In the first leg of the title deciding match, Enyimba defeated Ismaily 2-0 at the Aba Township Stadium before losing gallantly by a lone goal in the second leg which wasn’t enough to deny them their first-ever continental trophy.
The following year, the ‘Peoples Elephants’ retained their title by beating another North African club, Etoile du Sahel 5-3 on penalties at the fully packed MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Unfortunately, Enyimba have failed to build on the back-to-back victories. Since 2004, the most successful football club in Nigeria has not reached the final of any CAF inter-club competition. The closest they came to winning another continental title was in 2018 when they reached the semi-final of the Confederation Cup. Sadly, Enyimba were beaten both home and away by Raja Casablanca of Morocco, who progressed to the final on 3-1 aggregate.
So, instead of rubbing shoulders with the big boys like Zamalek, Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly of Egypt, Raja Casablanca, TP Mazembe, Espérance of Tunisia and Etoile du Sahel, Enyimba have reduced themselves to local champions. It is indeed shameful that after their continental glory, Enyimba have won six domestic league titles without a corresponding performance in CAF competitions.
In fact, when the draws for the group stage of this year’s CAF Confederation Cup was made and Enyimba were pitched in the same field with two North African clubs, many people, including their die-hard fans concluded that it was the end of the road for them. Many predicted that the only team in the group that Enyimba could withstand was the Black Bulls of Mozambique.
And when the hostilities began, they were proved right because Enyimba’s only victory in the group stage came against the team from Maputo. In six matches, they recorded one victory, two draws and three losses. Enyimba didn’t pick a single point on the road but dropped four points at home after sharing the spoils with Zamalek and Al Masry. So, when they drew 1-1 with Al Masry in their final home match before the trip to Cairo, it was obvious that Enyimba had kissed the competition goodbye.
Therefore, even as they bragged that they were going to qualify for the next stage at the expense of one of the Egyptian clubs, most of the fans knew that it was an empty boast. After losing three matches away, including the 3-1 hammering in the hands of the lowly rated Black Bulls in Maputo, Enyimba’s days in the competition were numbered. Had they beaten Al Masry in their last home match, they would have been in a better place to fight for one of the quarter-final tickets.
Well, Enyimba have only proven once again that the Nigerian domestic league is on a steady decline. For more than two decades now, no Nigerian club has won any CAF inter-club competition. This is definitely a sad commentary on the NPFL.
The only way out of the doldrums is to encourage the NPFL clubs to emulate their North African counterparts that have embraced true professionalism in terms of squad depth, funding and tactical preparations. These clubs are run professionally as business enterprises. Unfortunately, most NPFL clubs are glorified amateur clubs being used by state governments to siphon public funds. NPFL clubs are so poor that they no longer attract foreign players.
The most unfortunate thing is that these same clubs that have broken the hearts of Nigerian fans with embarrassing displays in this year’s CAF inter-club competitions will still be the ones to represent the country in the continent next year. At the moment, Remo Stars, who crashed out of the Champions League at the first hurdle, are leading the current NPFL table.
They are closely followed by another serial failure, Rivers United. Reigning champions Enugu Rangers who underperformed in the Champions League are also fighting to retain their title. If they succeed, they would return to the continent for another shambolic show. So, only God will save Nigerian fans in the hands of these average clubs.