NPFL mourns exit of former club owners, Iwuanyanwu, Ubah
29 July 2024 |
3:52 am
Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Gbenga Elegbeleye, has expressed grief over the demise of two former frontline investors in club ownership in the country. Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah rank amongst private investors in the NPFL, through club ownership at different dispensations in league football in the country.…
Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Gbenga Elegbeleye, has expressed grief over the demise of two former frontline investors in club ownership in the country.
Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah rank amongst private investors in the NPFL, through club ownership at different dispensations in league football in the country.
The two football and political heavyweights passed on within two days of each other during the week. The late Chief Iwuanyanwu was handed the former Spartans FC and now, Heartland FC of Owerri, in 1986, and oversaw the meteoric rise of the club to continental reckoning after winning all available laurels in the nation’s club competition between 1986 and 2002. He died on Thursday, July 25 at the age of 82.
The late Senator Ubah delved into club football when he bought controlling hold of Gabros International FC, renaming it FCIfeanyiUbah and steering the club through to the NPFL. He breathed his last in London, in the early hours of Saturday, July 27, at the age of 52.
Elegbeleye said both happenings constituted a sad week for the NPFL at a time when Nigerian league followers are gravitating toward more private investments in club ownership.
“Death is inevitable in our earthly journey, but I am saddened that the two gentlemen who are part of the torch bearers in private investment in club football completed their earthly journey at a time their experience would have counted most”, remarked the NPFL chairman.
“We take condolence in the knowledge that they made their mark in our sphere and would be remembered for good in the history of the evolution of professional football in Nigeria,” Elegbeleye stated.
Iwuanyanwu Nationale was one of the few Nigerian clubs that reached the finals of the old format African Champions Club Cup in 1988 but lost 4-1 on aggregate to Entente Setiff Club of Algeria.
Following their FA Cup triumph in 2016, FC IfeanyiUbah lost via penalty shootout to Egyptian side Al Masry in the CAF Confederation Cup in 2017.
The two clubs funded by the late businessmen had respectively contributed important players to the national teams at various levels at different times. Elegbeleye prayed for the repose of their souls while commiserating with their families, the government, and the people of Imo and Anambra states.
Related
Sport
3 hours ago
Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Gbenga Elegbeleye, has expressed grief over the demise of two former frontline investors in club ownership in the country. Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah rank amongst private investors in the NPFL, through club ownership at different dispensations in league football in the country.…
1 day ago
Filipino great Manny Pacquiao's exhibition fight against Japan's Rukiya Anpo ended in an underwhelming draw on Sunday. The bout in Saitama, north of Tokyo, was ruled a draw because it had no judges, with Pacquiao, 45, struggling to dominate Anpo, a 28-year-old mixed martial artist. The exhibition bout was conducted under strict boxing rules. Anpo,…
1 day ago
Paris Olympics organisers said Sunday they were "really sorry" if any offence was caused by their daring and quirky opening ceremony while denying any intention to "disrespect" religion after complaints from French bishops. Some Catholic groups and French bishops have condemned what they saw as "scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity" in the parade…
1 day ago
Nigeria’s players in the men’s table tennis event of the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Saturday lost their matches in the first round of the competition. Guardian reports that Quadri Aruna lost 3-4 in his round of 64 match at the South Paris Arena to Eduard Ionescu of Romania. Aruna’s hopes of repeating his…
1 day ago
FIFA has deducted Canada six points from the Olympic women's football tournament and ban head coach Bev Priestman for one year following the drone spying scandal. Assistant coach Jasmine Mander and Joseph Lombardi, an unaccredited analyst with Canada Soccer, were also sent home on Wednesday after a drone was believed to have recorded New Zealand…
1 day ago
Nigerian boxer Cynthia Temitayo Ogunsemilore has been suspended from the Paris Olympics for violating an anti-doping rule, the International Testing Agency said Saturday. A sample collected from the boxer "has returned an adverse analytical finding for the specified prohibited substance furosemide," the ITA said in a statement. Furosemide is classified under "diuretics and masking agents"…
2 days ago
Samoa's boxing coach died at the Paris Olympics village after the 60-year-old had a cardiac arrest, officials said on Saturday. Governing body the IBA sent its "heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues" of Lionel Elika Fatupaito following his sudden death on Friday, the day of the opening ceremony. He was treated by emergency…
2 days ago
China on Saturday became the first country to win gold at the ongoing Paris Olympics games. The Chinese clinched the gold medal in shooting 10m air rifle mixed team thanks to teenaged duo Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao. Their 16-12 win, haltinga late challenge from the South Korean pair of Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun,…
2 days ago
Excited spectators plodded through puddles Saturday to reach the most spectacular venue of the Paris 2024 Olympics, with beach volleyball kicking off in the shadow of a just-visible Eiffel Tower. After a rain-soaked opening ceremony the night before, the first day of sporting action was equally wet, and crowds at the purpose-built stadium huddled under…
2 days ago
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has tendered an apology after South Korea's athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 on Friday. As teams waved their flags, floating down the River Seine, both French and English announcers introduced South Korea as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" which is…
×
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.