Enyimba of Aba served an embarrassing dish in their 1-0 loss to Wydad Casablanca in the African Football League.
The home loss was bad enough, but Enyimba made a show of shame in their representation of the country in the money-spinning competition.
Their performance aside, the quality of administration has gotten tongues wagging, and the management of Enyimba needs to do a retrospection before their next encounter.
At the least, heads should roll to set an example for others.
What transpired in Uyo was not only embarrassing but shows the depth the People's Elephant have dropped, and it is not surprising that the performance on the pitch is underwhelming.
Enyimba's response on the subject matter;
During the registration with CAF, he was registered as number 3 jersey instead of number 5.
It was a costly error from the Team Secretary.
They found out when the match was about to start, and there was no way CAF would allow him to… https://t.co/Cx1EPFBvC9
— Adepoju Tobi Samuel 🇳🇬 (@OgaNlaMedia) October 23, 2023
Enyimba lost to Wydad in a show of shame
It is 2023, and at the least, certain things should be done right.
Keeping records is not rocket science, but Enyimba contrived to serve amateurism ala carte.
What happened? In Africa's biggest competition, Enyimba failed to document their processes properly, leading to the team fielding a player against Wydad in an improperly marked jersey.
The player involved is Innocent Gabriel. He was spotted on the pitch with his jersey number written with either paint or marker.
It showed the inadequate preparation by the People's Elephant, and their poor logistics translated into a poor performance on the pitch against Wydad.
The Aba warlords now have an uphill task ahead of the return leg against Wydad Casablanca. Can Enyimba overturn the home loss?
They'd need to first put their house in order.
Highlights of our game against Wydad AC#TogetherForVictory #ChampionsUnite
Cc African Football League pic.twitter.com/kIuEOYHXc3
— Enyimba FC (@EnyimbaFC) October 23, 2023
Trading blames amid registration fiasco
What is the issue at hand? Before their tie against Wydad in Uyo, Enyimba found themselves in trouble.
During their registration for the competition, Innocent Gabriel was registered as number three instead of number five.
The oversight meant he could not play with the number five shirt. As is usual in this clime, there was no quick fix, as CAF insisted that Innocent could not get onto the pitch with his preferred number.
Of course, the blame for this logistical nightmare is on the team secretary.
Once again, it is embarrassing.
Why heads should roll
The fiasco by Enyimba is not a new situation in Nigeria.
In 1993, ahead of their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Algeria, the Super Eagles kit manager locked the team's jerseys inside his office and was nowhere to be found.
Quick improvisation saw the team buy tracksuits within the stadium premises and cut them into shorts for the players to turn out in.
Did that embarrassing situation teach Nigeria any lesson? Evidently not.
The league is awash with players turning out with jersey numbers written with chalk or paint.
Enyimba just signed a multi-million naira shirt deal with Stake, and this is not the way to represent their sponsors.
If heads don't roll, then Stake should start thinking of withdrawing their sponsorship, as it is akin to feeding a monster that will eventually consume everyone.
The chairman of Enyimba of Aba, Kanu Nwankwo, has played in saner climes and needs to start bringing his professionalism to bear.
Enyimba needs to wake up.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 week ago
