From our football correspondent
Steady
Match30 Jun 2029
Still nobody has beaten Enyimba
The unbeaten run reaches 14. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad2 Jul 2029
9 goals and a season average of 7.47. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad2 Jul 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” David Eke commits to Enyimba for another 4 years.
Squad2 Jul 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom2 Jul 2029
$6.2M on the table at Enyimba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Match30 Jun 2029
A 2-2 draw with Plateau United leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The terraces2 Jul 2029
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
Market2 Jul 2029
Emeka Onyema is free to find somewhere else“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Enyimba has been clear about where Emeka Onyema stands, which is more than many ever get.
Boardroom2 Jul 2029
$275.7K a year onto the Enyimba books
A new partner, a signature and a photograph nobody will remember. It funds a fortnight of wages, which is more than most headlines on this page can say for themselves.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match23 Jun 2029
Still nobody has beaten Enyimba
The unbeaten run reaches 13. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Match25 Jun 2029
Enyimba up to position 244 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Squad25 Jun 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market25 Jun 2029
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Enyimba has been clear about where Emmanuel Nwokeji stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad25 Jun 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad25 Jun 2029
6 goals and a season average of 7.27. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match23 Jun 2029
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad25 Jun 2029
Paul Odeh has company in his positionThe competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Paul Odeh keeps the shirt for now, at Enyimba 's convenience rather than his own.
Market25 Jun 2029
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Alaa Eddine Aissani arrives at Enyimba with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match16 Jun 2029
Still nobody has beaten Enyimba
The unbeaten run reaches 12. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Market18 Jun 2029
Remo Stars come back empty-handedThe bid was some way short and Enyimba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad18 Jun 2029
Wisdom Obichere : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad18 Jun 2029
8 goals and a season average of 7.44. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match16 Jun 2029
Three points for Enyimba , 2-1 the final word against Niger Tornadoes in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad18 Jun 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Usman Lolo commits to Enyimba for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match9 Jun 2029
Still nobody has beaten Enyimba
The unbeaten run reaches 11. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Market11 Jun 2029
Samual Nuako has one foot out of the doorTerms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Enyimba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market11 Jun 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Enyimba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad11 Jun 2029
Azeez Yusuf is in the form of his lifeA season average of 7.23 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match9 Jun 2029
A 1-1 draw with Nasarawa United leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad11 Jun 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad11 Jun 2029
Kalu Nweke knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
The terraces11 Jun 2029
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
Market11 Jun 2029
Enyimba have made Chikamso Amaefula available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match2 Jun 2029
Still nobody has beaten Enyimba
The unbeaten run reaches 10. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match2 Jun 2029
Three points for Enyimba , 2-1 the final word against Abia Warriors in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom4 Jun 2029
$6.2M on the table at Enyimba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad4 Jun 2029
Ahmed Kofta is in the form of his lifeA season average of 7.22 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match28 May 2029
Enyimba are in among the leadersPosition 2 and 36 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad28 May 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match26 May 2029
9 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
David Eke David Eke says Enyimba went back on their word
Market28 May 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad28 May 2029
The manager makes an example of Miracle Ukadike
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match26 May 2029
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad21 May 2029
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match19 May 2029
8 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad21 May 2029
8 goals and a season average of 7.45. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad14 May 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match12 May 2029
7 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad14 May 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Samuel Agu commits to Enyimba for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match5 May 2029
Enyimba make it 4 in a rowMomentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Enyimba have 4 straight wins of it.
Match5 May 2029
Shooting Stars made Enyimba work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad7 May 2029
Uwana Asuquo gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom7 May 2029
Enyimba release $6.2M for the managerThe board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Squad7 May 2029
Enyimba will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Squad7 May 2029
Enyimba ’s own kid cannot get a gameAt 27, Paul Odeh has come through every age group this club has, and now watches a borrowed player of much the same level start every week. An academy notices these things, and so do the parents in the stand.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match30 Apr 2029
Enyimba up to position 328 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Market30 Apr 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match28 Apr 2029
Enyimba make it 3 in a rowMomentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Enyimba have 3 straight wins of it.
Match28 Apr 2029
A 2-1 win over Warri Wolves , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad30 Apr 2029
David Eke gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Hagai Katoh unhappy with how he is being usedAsked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Hagai Katoh has let it be known that he does not like the way Enyimba are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
In brief
Squad
The selectors could not leave Ahmed Kofta out
Squad
The manager comes out for Kalu Nweke
Boardroom
The Enyimba board put their names to it
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Apr 2029
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 14 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match18 Apr 2029
Enyimba through in the cupA 2-1 win over Kun Khalifat , and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Squad23 Apr 2029
Usman Lolo : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad23 Apr 2029
A season average of 7.46 with 8 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad23 Apr 2029
The manager makes an example of Kalu Nweke
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match14 Apr 2029
5 matches without a win for Enyimba
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Enyimba are no longer polite ones.
Squad16 Apr 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad16 Apr 2029
Kalu Nweke asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Apr 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match7 Apr 2029
4 matches without a win for Enyimba
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Enyimba are no longer polite ones.
Squad9 Apr 2029
Uwana Asuquo gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad2 Apr 2029
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad2 Apr 2029
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market2 Apr 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad2 Apr 2029
The manager makes an example of Aziz Kayondo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match31 Mar 2029
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Boardroom2 Apr 2029
$6.2M on the table at Enyimba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
In brief
Squad
Uwana Asuquo knocks on the manager's door
Boardroom
The Enyimba board put their names to it
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match24 Mar 2029
18 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 18 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad26 Mar 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match24 Mar 2029
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Ikorodu City came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match17 Mar 2029
17 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 17 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad19 Mar 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sunday Aniebet commits to Enyimba for another 4 years.
Squad19 Mar 2029
David Eke gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match17 Mar 2029
It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad19 Mar 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market19 Mar 2029
Enyimba have made Samual Nuako available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match10 Mar 2029
16 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 16 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Match10 Mar 2029
Three points for Enyimba , 2-0 the final word against Kun Khalifat in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad12 Mar 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad12 Mar 2029
A season average of 7.31 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad12 Mar 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Victor Baridapdoo commits to Enyimba for another 4 years.
Market12 Mar 2029
The name of Uwana Asuquo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Enyimba say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match3 Mar 2029
15 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 15 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Match3 Mar 2029
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 4-1 against Bendel Insurance , and it could have been more.
Squad5 Mar 2029
3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.
Squad5 Mar 2029
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market5 Mar 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Tochukwu Michael and Enyimba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market5 Mar 2029
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market5 Mar 2029
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Chikamso Amaefula arrives at Enyimba with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match24 Feb 2029
14 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 14 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad26 Feb 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Kalu Nweke knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Match24 Feb 2029
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. El-Kanemi Warriors came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Ahmed Kofta wants a proper job in this sideShifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Ahmed Kofta has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Enyimba know, and have known for weeks.
Market26 Feb 2029
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Enyimba money.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match17 Feb 2029
13 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad19 Feb 2029
David Eke gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Emmanuel Nwokeji asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Match17 Feb 2029
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Plateau United will be the happier side with the point.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Somebody is after David Eke ’s shirt
A new face in his position, and David Eke suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Enyimba have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market19 Feb 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Enyimba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match10 Feb 2029
12 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 12 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad12 Feb 2029
A season average of 7.22 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Match10 Feb 2029
Wikki Tourists made Enyimba work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad12 Feb 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad12 Feb 2029
Azeez Yusuf finally opens his accountHe wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Enyimba have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad12 Feb 2029
David Eke knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match3 Feb 2029
11 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Market5 Feb 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Feb 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Paul Odeh commits to Enyimba for another 4 years.
Market5 Feb 2029
The name of Jonathan Jacob has come up in conversations Enyimba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad5 Feb 2029
Ahmed Kofta gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad5 Feb 2029
The award goes to Sunday Aniebet , and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Match3 Feb 2029
A 1-1 draw with Niger Tornadoes leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The terraces5 Feb 2029
Everybody has an opinion about Miracle Ukadike
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Squad5 Feb 2029
Afolayan Peters asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Jan 2029
Kalu Nweke hands in a written request“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Enyimba can pretend not to have heard.
Match27 Jan 2029
10 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Uwana Asuquo gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match27 Jan 2029
A 1-0 win over Nasarawa United , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Somebody is after Uwana Asuquo ’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Uwana Asuquo suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Enyimba have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Squad29 Jan 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market29 Jan 2029
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Enyimba money.
Boardroom29 Jan 2029
The Enyimba production line keeps running
15 graduates out of an academy now rated 9 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match20 Jan 2029
No end in sight to Enyimba 's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Enyimba has to find a result from somewhere.
Match20 Jan 2029
9 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Market22 Jan 2029
The bid was some way short and Enyimba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad22 Jan 2029
The manager makes an example of Miracle Ukadike
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match20 Jan 2029
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad22 Jan 2029
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Abubakar Bonni keeps the shirt for now, at Enyimba 's convenience rather than his own.
Market22 Jan 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Walid Tawfik may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad22 Jan 2029
Usman Lolo unhappy with how he is being usedAsked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Usman Lolo has let it be known that he does not like the way Enyimba are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Market22 Jan 2029
Still no signature from Henry Ndedi
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Enyimba could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Jan 2029
No end in sight to Enyimba 's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Enyimba has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Ezekiel Edidiong : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match13 Jan 2029
8 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad15 Jan 2029
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Kalu Nweke , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market15 Jan 2029
Kalu Nweke is free to find somewhere else“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Enyimba has been clear about where Kalu Nweke stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad15 Jan 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market15 Jan 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Enyimba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Market15 Jan 2029
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Match13 Jan 2029
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Rivers United will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match6 Jan 2029
No end in sight to Enyimba 's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Enyimba has to find a result from somewhere.
Boardroom8 Jan 2029
A new deal for the man in the dugout, and the clearest thing a board can say without calling a press conference about it. Stability is cheap to promise and expensive to deliver.
Squad8 Jan 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Aziz Kayondo and Enyimba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match6 Jan 2029
7 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Market8 Jan 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market8 Jan 2029
The shirt still fits. Akinkunmi Iheanacho is back at Enyimba , and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market8 Jan 2029
The shirt still fits. Sunday Iwobi is back at Enyimba , and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market8 Jan 2029
The shirt still fits. Akinkunmi Okoye is back at Enyimba , and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad8 Jan 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Jan 2029
Joseph Abiodun : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market1 Jan 2029
Samual Nuako hands in a written request“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Enyimba can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 Jan 2029
28 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Dec 2028
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad25 Dec 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad25 Dec 2028
Ezekiel Edidiong asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom18 Dec 2028
Continental nights are coming to Enyimba
Qualification is secured, and next season the big floodlit nights are continental ones. For the players it is a stage; for the accounts it is a lifeline; for the supporters it is passports.
Squad18 Dec 2028
The one award nobody else on the pitch can win goes to Miracle Ukadike , on 20 clean sheets across the season. Keepers wait a career for a season like it.
Squad18 Dec 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Dec 2028
At 21, Sunday Aniebet is already the best thing here
An average of 7.16 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad11 Dec 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market11 Dec 2028
The Uwana Asuquo talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Enyimba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match4 Dec 2028
Enyimba are in among the leadersPosition 2 and 65 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Jonathan Jacob and Enyimba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Boardroom4 Dec 2028
Enyimba release $5.8M for the managerThe board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market4 Dec 2028
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Squad4 Dec 2028
Wisdom Obichere asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Nov 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad27 Nov 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Emmanuel Nwokeji has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Nov 2028
The manager makes an example of Samual Nuako
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad20 Nov 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Paul Odeh keeps his manager's voteThe message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Paul Odeh plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Nov 2028
At 21, Sunday Aniebet is already the best thing here
An average of 7.16 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Kalu Nweke gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market13 Nov 2028
The Uwana Asuquo talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Enyimba know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match6 Nov 2028
Enyimba are in among the leadersPosition 2 and 65 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad6 Nov 2028
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Boardroom6 Nov 2028
Enyimba release $5.8M for the managerThe board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Squad6 Nov 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad6 Nov 2028
The armband comes off Kalu Nweke
Enyimba will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Kalu Nweke knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad30 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Jonathan Jacob
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Afolayan Peters asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Kingsley Maduforo has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Oct 2028
18 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad23 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Afolayan Peters
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Henry Ndedi asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Oct 2028
Wisdom Obichere : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad16 Oct 2028
At 21, Sunday Aniebet is already the best thing here
An average of 7.16 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad16 Oct 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match9 Oct 2028
Enyimba are in among the leadersPosition 2 and 65 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad9 Oct 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Kalu Nweke and Enyimba agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad9 Oct 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Oct 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kalu Nweke commits to Enyimba for another 2 years.
Boardroom2 Oct 2028
$5.8M on the table at Enyimba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad2 Oct 2028
Usman Lolo gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Sep 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Miracle Ukadike asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad25 Sep 2028
6.67 across ninety minutes and a place in the division's team of the week. He was the best player on that pitch and everybody there knew it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match16 Sep 2028
No end in sight to Enyimba 's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Enyimba has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad18 Sep 2028
At 21, Sunday Aniebet is already the best thing here
An average of 7.16 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad18 Sep 2028
17 goals and a season average of 7.21. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match16 Sep 2028
6 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Chibudem Favour and Enyimba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match11 Sep 2028
Enyimba up to position 164 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Market11 Sep 2028
The bid was some way short and Enyimba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Match9 Sep 2028
No end in sight to Enyimba 's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Enyimba has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Paul Odeh gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad11 Sep 2028
David Eke is in the form of his lifeA season average of 7.31 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match9 Sep 2028
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Shooting Stars defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market11 Sep 2028
The window shut and Henry Ndedi is still in the building
Enyimba spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
Market11 Sep 2028
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Nathaniel Asibe moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Sep 2028
Samual Nuako hands in a written request“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Enyimba can pretend not to have heard.
Market4 Sep 2028
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Enyimba have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom4 Sep 2028
Enyimba release $5.8M for the managerThe board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Match2 Sep 2028
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 35 with 21 appearances behind him, and Enyimba have to plan for both answers.
Squad4 Sep 2028
Henry Ndedi asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad4 Sep 2028
Abubakar Bonni unhappy with how he is being usedAsked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Abubakar Bonni has let it be known that he does not like the way Enyimba are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Market4 Sep 2028
The window shut and Mohammed Hussaini is still in the building
Enyimba spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Aug 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Enyimba can pretend not to have heard.
Market28 Aug 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Enyimba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad28 Aug 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad28 Aug 2028
Paul Odeh has to sit this one outA booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Enyimba lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.
Match26 Aug 2028
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Rangers International came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Squad28 Aug 2028
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Afolayan Peters will call it something else in private.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market21 Aug 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad21 Aug 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad21 Aug 2028
17 goals and a season average of 7.24. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad21 Aug 2028
A season average of 7.12 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad21 Aug 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match19 Aug 2028
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Kwara United came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match14 Aug 2028
Enyimba up to position 160 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Emeka Onyema : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Augustine Nwaorisa and Enyimba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match12 Aug 2028
A 1-0 win over Kano Pillars , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad14 Aug 2028
4 goals and a season average of 7.30. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Aug 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match5 Aug 2028
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Emeka Onyema and Enyimba agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Boardroom7 Aug 2028
Enyimba release $5.8M for the managerThe board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Market7 Aug 2028
Shooting Stars are about to pick up the phoneA conversation is coming this week. Enyimba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad7 Aug 2028
The captaincy has been taken off Henry Ndedi . Enyimba will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match29 Jul 2028
15 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 15 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Nzube Chukwurah : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market31 Jul 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Enyimba is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad31 Jul 2028
The manager makes an example of Uwana Asuquo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad31 Jul 2028
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Miracle Ukadike knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Match29 Jul 2028
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match22 Jul 2028
14 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 14 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Seyi Adegbite : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad24 Jul 2028
17 goals and a season average of 7.28. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad24 Jul 2028
At 21, Sunday Aniebet is already the best thing here
An average of 7.05 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad24 Jul 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” David Eke and Enyimba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match22 Jul 2028
A 3-1 win over Katsina United , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Market24 Jul 2028
Abia Warriors are about to pick up the phoneA conversation is coming this week. Enyimba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market24 Jul 2028
The name of Uwana Asuquo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Enyimba say nothing, which says plenty.
The terraces24 Jul 2028
The press cannot get enough of Sunday Aniebet
Praise is not points and never has been. It is, however, the fastest way for a valuation to move, and everybody in the game reads the same pages.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match17 Jul 2028
Enyimba are in among the leadersPosition 1 and 53 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Match15 Jul 2028
13 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Henry Ndedi : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Henry Ndedi Henry Ndedi: that is not what I was promised
Squad17 Jul 2028
David Eke is in the form of his lifeA season average of 7.29 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad17 Jul 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match15 Jul 2028
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Kun Khalifat defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad10 Jul 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market10 Jul 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Enyimba can pretend not to have heard.
Market10 Jul 2028
The bid was some way short and Enyimba did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Match8 Jul 2028
Enyimba cannot stop winning3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Squad10 Jul 2028
A season average of 7.25 with 15 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match8 Jul 2028
A 3-2 win over Bendel Insurance , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match1 Jul 2028
11 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Match1 Jul 2028
El-Kanemi Warriors made Enyimba work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad3 Jul 2028
A season average of 7.20 with 13 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Nathaniel Asibe commits to Enyimba for another 2 years.
Boardroom3 Jul 2028
$5.8M on the table at Enyimba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match24 Jun 2028
10 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Joseph Abiodun : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match24 Jun 2028
A 1-0 win over Plateau United , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Market26 Jun 2028
Kano Pillars are about to pick up the phoneA conversation is coming this week. Enyimba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad26 Jun 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad26 Jun 2028
3 goals and a season average of 7.24. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Market26 Jun 2028
The name of Uwana Asuquo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Enyimba say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Walid Tawfik asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market26 Jun 2028
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Enyimba money.
In brief
The terraces
The press cannot get enough of David Eke
Boardroom
Enyimba board back the manager
The terraces
David Eke has his own song now
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Jun 2028
Enyimba are in among the leadersPosition 3 and 43 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Match17 Jun 2028
9 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad19 Jun 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sunday Aniebet commits to Enyimba for another 4 years.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Paul Odeh gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match17 Jun 2028
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad19 Jun 2028
The shirt belongs to Kalu Nweke now
At 33 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Enyimba have a decision that made itself.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match10 Jun 2028
8 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Emeka Onyema gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match10 Jun 2028
A 1-1 draw with Niger Tornadoes leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad5 Jun 2028
David Eke is the real thing at 21A season average of 7.19 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Match3 Jun 2028
7 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad5 Jun 2028
13 goals and a season average of 7.25. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match3 Jun 2028
Nasarawa United made Enyimba work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad5 Jun 2028
The manager makes an example of Miracle Ukadike
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
$5.8M on the table at Enyimba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match27 May 2028
6 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad29 May 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad29 May 2028
Sunday Aniebet knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad29 May 2028
One booking too many, and Tochukwu Michael sits out. Enyimba lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.
Match27 May 2028
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Abia Warriors came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Market29 May 2028
The name of Uwana Asuquo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Enyimba say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match22 May 2028
Enyimba up to position 237 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Squad22 May 2028
12 goals and a season average of 7.22. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad22 May 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 May 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match13 May 2028
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad15 May 2028
7.18 across ninety minutes and a place in the division's team of the week. He was the best player on that pitch and everybody there knew it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 May 2028
Walid Tawfik : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match6 May 2028
Enyimba make it 3 in a rowMomentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Enyimba have 3 straight wins of it.
Squad8 May 2028
David Eke is the real thing at 21A season average of 7.15 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 May 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad1 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Kalu Nweke
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match29 Apr 2028
Three points for Enyimba , 1-0 the final word against Shooting Stars in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad1 May 2028
The armband comes off Kalu Nweke
Enyimba will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Market1 May 2028
The name of Uwana Asuquo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Enyimba say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad1 May 2028
The captaincy goes to Henry Ndedi . It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Apr 2028
Enyimba bow out of the cupAbia Warriors go through and Enyimba go home, 0-1 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Match24 Apr 2028
Enyimba are in among the leadersPosition 3 and 29 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad24 Apr 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match22 Apr 2028
A 1-0 win over Warri Wolves , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad24 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Emeka Onyema
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Ezekiel Edidiong asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Apr 2028
6 matches without a win for Enyimba
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Enyimba are no longer polite ones.
Match15 Apr 2028
2-3 to Rangers International , and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad17 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Paul Odeh
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Paul Odeh The manager makes an example of Paul Odeh
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match8 Apr 2028
11 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Match8 Apr 2028
5 matches without a win for Enyimba
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Enyimba are no longer polite ones.
Squad10 Apr 2028
At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
An average of 7.06 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
David Eke At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match1 Apr 2028
10 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Match1 Apr 2028
4 matches without a win for Enyimba
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Enyimba are no longer polite ones.
Squad3 Apr 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ezekiel Edidiong and Enyimba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Apr 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
Enyimba release $5.8M for the managerThe board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Sunday Aniebet knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match25 Mar 2028
9 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad27 Mar 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad27 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Henry Ndedi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Usman Lolo Usman Lolo says Enyimba went back on their word
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match20 Mar 2028
Enyimba are in among the leadersPosition 2 and 23 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match18 Mar 2028
8 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Walid Tawfik Walid Tawfik says Enyimba went back on their word
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match11 Mar 2028
7 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Squad13 Mar 2028
At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
An average of 7.00 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad13 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Miracle Ukadike
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
David Eke At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad6 Mar 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Uwana Asuquo commits to Enyimba for another 4 years.
Match4 Mar 2028
6 unbeaten for Enyimba
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Enyimba did not have in the autumn.
Match4 Mar 2028
Three points for Enyimba , 1-0 the final word against Kun Khalifat in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad6 Mar 2028
The month belongs to David Eke
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Enyimba have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
Enyimba release $5.8M for the managerThe board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad28 Feb 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Kalu Nweke gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match26 Feb 2028
A 1-0 win over Bendel Insurance , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad28 Feb 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Ezekiel Edidiong asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Boardroom28 Feb 2028
The Enyimba production line keeps running
10 graduates out of an academy now rated 9 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
In brief
The terraces
The press have found their man in David Eke
The terraces
The stand has a song for David Eke
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Feb 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match19 Feb 2028
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. El-Kanemi Warriors will be the happier side with the point.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Henry Ndedi asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad14 Feb 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Miracle Ukadike commits to Enyimba for another 3 years.
Squad14 Feb 2028
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Walid Tawfik , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match12 Feb 2028
A 1-1 draw with Plateau United leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Sunday Aniebet asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market14 Feb 2028
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Godwin Dede moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad7 Feb 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match5 Feb 2028
Three points for Enyimba , 1-0 the final word against Wikki Tourists in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market7 Feb 2028
The name of Uwana Asuquo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Enyimba say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad7 Feb 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market31 Jan 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market31 Jan 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Match29 Jan 2028
A 1-0 win over Niger Tornadoes , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Usman Lolo gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad31 Jan 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market31 Jan 2028
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Bassey John leaves Enyimba the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market24 Jan 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Enyimba can pretend not to have heard.
Market24 Jan 2028
Godwin Dede has one foot out of the doorTerms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Enyimba they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match22 Jan 2028
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match15 Jan 2028
A 1-0 win over Abia Warriors , earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The medical room confirms 45 days on the sidelines for Walid Tawfik , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market17 Jan 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Enyimba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Emeka Onyema
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Somebody is after Kalu Nweke ’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Kalu Nweke suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Enyimba have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market17 Jan 2028
Enyimba have made Mohammed Hussaini available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Market17 Jan 2028
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Alex Adeleye moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
Market17 Jan 2028
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Anthony Chukwueze leaves Enyimba the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
In brief
The terraces
The press have found their man in Paul Odeh
The terraces
The stand has a song for Paul Odeh
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match8 Jan 2028
Three points for Enyimba , 2-0 the final word against Rivers United in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market10 Jan 2028
Barau are about to pick up the phoneA conversation is coming this week. Enyimba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market10 Jan 2028
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Enyimba has been clear about where Mohammed Hussaini stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad10 Jan 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Enyimba have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Market10 Jan 2028
The name of Uwana Asuquo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Enyimba say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Emeka Onyema asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Abubakar Bonni unhappy with how he is being usedAsked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Abubakar Bonni has let it be known that he does not like the way Enyimba are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Market10 Jan 2028
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Chiemela Emmanuel moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad3 Jan 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match1 Jan 2028
6 matches without a win for Enyimba
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Enyimba are no longer polite ones.
Market3 Jan 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market3 Jan 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market3 Jan 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market3 Jan 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Hamisu Ibrahim and Enyimba agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match1 Jan 2028
It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Dec 2027
Sunday Aniebet asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad27 Dec 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Tochukwu Michael keeps the shirt for now, at Enyimba 's convenience rather than his own.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Kingsley Maduforo has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Dec 2027
At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
An average of 7.03 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad20 Dec 2027
The medical room confirms 76 days on the sidelines for Walid Tawfik , and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad20 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of Usman Lolo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
David Eke At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Dec 2027
A season average of 7.00 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad13 Dec 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad13 Dec 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Abubakar Bonni plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad6 Dec 2027
Joseph Abiodun : that is not what I was promised“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Enyimba have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Bassey John asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad29 Nov 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Samuel Agu knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market29 Nov 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Walid Tawfik may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Nov 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad22 Nov 2027
At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
An average of 7.03 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad22 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Seyi Adegbite
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Nov 2027
A season average of 7.00 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad15 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Henry Ndedi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Sunday Aniebet asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Nov 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad8 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Usman Lolo
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Sunday Aniebet knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Henry Ndedi Henry Ndedi says Enyimba went back on their word
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Nov 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market1 Nov 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Walid Tawfik may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Kingsley Maduforo has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Oct 2027
At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
An average of 7.03 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
David Eke At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Oct 2027
A season average of 7.00 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Joseph Abiodun
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Jonathan Jacob asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Walid Tawfik and Enyimba agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad4 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Miracle Ukadike
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Sep 2027
At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
An average of 7.03 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Walid Tawfik gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Sunday Aniebet knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
David Eke At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Sep 2027
5 matches without a win for Enyimba
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Enyimba are no longer polite ones.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad20 Sep 2027
A season average of 7.00 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Usman Lolo Usman Lolo says Enyimba went back on their word
Match18 Sep 2027
A bad afternoon for Enyimba against Barau
0-1 to Barau , and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom20 Sep 2027
Nobody left the Enyimba dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match11 Sep 2027
4 matches without a win for Enyimba
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Enyimba are no longer polite ones.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match11 Sep 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Shooting Stars will be the happier side with the point.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Emeka Onyema asks for a word with the manager“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market13 Sep 2027
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Kelvin Ogunga moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
Market13 Sep 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. John Kennedy leaves Enyimba the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market6 Sep 2027
Joel Ezra sold, and an era ends$1.1M from Arouca for Joel Ezra . Money is money, but the dressing room has lost the man it looked to.
Market6 Sep 2027
The shirt still fits. Ezekiel Edidiong is back at Enyimba , and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match4 Sep 2027
Warri Wolves left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
Nobody left the Enyimba dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The award goes to Kingsley Maduforo , and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
$1.6M on the table at Enyimba
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Market6 Sep 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Enyimba will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Market6 Sep 2027
Enyimba bring in an old headWalid Tawfik is 38 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match28 Aug 2027
Beaten 1-4 by Rangers International , and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Squad30 Aug 2027
At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
An average of 7.03 in a first team he is several years too young for. Enyimba have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Uwana Asuquo gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
David Eke At 21, David Eke is already the best thing here
Market30 Aug 2027
The name of Ebube Success has come up in conversations Enyimba were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Boardroom30 Aug 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market23 Aug 2027
The deal that would have taken Joel Ezra to Katsina United has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Enyimba with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Squad23 Aug 2027
A season average of 7.02 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Enyimba know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad23 Aug 2027
A season average of 7.22 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad23 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Stanley Dimgba
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match14 Aug 2027
Kano Pillars made Enyimba work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Market16 Aug 2027
Katsina United are about to pick up the phoneA conversation is coming this week. Enyimba will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Emeka Onyema gets it from the manager“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Joel Ezra Katsina United are about to pick up the phone
Squad16 Aug 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market16 Aug 2027
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Marvelous Chimdiebube moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
Market16 Aug 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Cletus Kelechi leaves Enyimba the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match7 Aug 2027
3-0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Market9 Aug 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
John Kennedy Enyimba turn down Rivers United for John Kennedy
Squad9 Aug 2027
Ezekiel Edidiong unhappy with how he is being usedAsked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Ezekiel Edidiong has let it be known that he does not like the way Enyimba are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Stanley Dimgba knocks on the manager's door“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Enyimba , and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market9 Aug 2027
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Chima Stephen leaves Enyimba the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.