Rangers International Won The War For The Vanquished
Football is the greatest instrument that unites Nigeria. Whenever the national team, the Super Eagles, is on song all Nigerians become united in an astonishing togetherness.
There was the Nigeria-Biafra war of 1967-70 that could have divided the country forever. At the end of the war in 1970, then Head of State General Yakubu Gowon made the famous announcement of “No Victor, No Vanquished”.
Of course the vanquished ones knew themselves as they sauntered back into Nigeria, hungry and broken, after the end of the Biafra struggle.
The eminent Nigerian football administrators of that time, notably the iconic Oyo Orok Oyo, at the end of the war stressed that a team from the erstwhile rebel section must be involved for a true national champion to emerge.
The Nigerian Army football team was the reigning kings that had to be matched up with the team from the East. In the pulsating match the boys from the East defeated the Nigerian Army team 2-1, a clear case of the vanquished turning the table on the victors.
A key player from the Nigerian Army team, Paul “Wonder Boy” Hamilton, recalled that Olusegun Obasanjo was so enraged when he saw the army team in the office of the team coordinator George Innih that he nearly had them flogged for “losing to those hungry boys”.
The eastern boys may have been hungry but they were quite determined such that one of their star players, Dominic Nwobodo, who had his head broken and bloodied, completed the match with a completely bandaged head that earned him the nickname “Alhaji”.
It was from the ruins of the war that Enugu Rangers was formed in 1970, and the team represented Nigeria in the 1971 African Cup of Champion Clubs, reaching the quarter-finals, only to lose to ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire.
The pioneer Rangers team of 1970 was made up of Cyril Okosieme in goal, Ernest Ufele and Johnny “Wheeler” Nwosu as full backs, Peter Okeke as defensive midfielder, the skipper Godwin Achebe as central defender with Luke “Jazz Bukana” Okpala as his partner, while the forward players were Mathias Obianika, Kenneh Abana, Dominic Nwobodo, Chukwuma Igweonwu and Shedrack Ajaero.
The Rangers team got to the final of the 1971 National Challenge Cup but lost to WNDC (IICC, 3SC) of Ibadan, with WNDC’s goalie Adisa Amusa saving the penalty of Skipper Achebe.
A major addition to the Rangers team thereafter was the goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala who took over from Cyril Okosieme.
In the spirit of rising from the ruins of the war, the schoolboys of East Central State won the 1971 Manuwa/Adebajo Academicals Cup, and star players from the team such as Godwin Ogbueze, Dominic Ezeani, Kenneth Ilodigwe and Christian Chukwu were immediately drafted into the Rangers team.
Crack centre-half Dominic Ezeani who had displaced Skipper Achebe in the gold-winning national team, the Green Eagles, at the 1973 All-Africa Games staged in Lagos equally took over from the legendary Achebe as captain of Rangers and henceforth led the team to winning the double, that is, the League and Challenge Cup, in 1974.
The 1974 Challenge Cup final was between Rangers and Mighty Jets of Jos, a team from Head of State Yakubu Gowon’s Plateau State. Aloysius Atuegbu who was playing for Mighty Jets told me that Gowon came to his home and promised to buy him a Volkswagen Beetle car if he could help beat Rangers.
Aloy played like a possessed man. Rangers Skipper Ezeani advised Aloy that he would get injured if he continued playing like mad. In Aloy’s next move, Rangers hard defender Harrison Mecha gave him a wicked tackle such that Aloy was stretchered out for good. Rangers beat Mighty Jets 2-0 and lifted the coveted trophy. No Volkswagen for Aloy!
Rangers won the coveted Challenge Cup three years on the trot, beating Shooting Stars of Ibadan,
Waow. Real down memory lane. Has earned a publication place in the Scope News.
However l miss the presence of two iconic Rangers strikers in the narrative. Stanley Okoromkwo and Charly Motimor.
Yes, they only listed the club’s first post-war line-up. Several other players whom they either missed or later came on board (early to mid 70s) include: Charles Okoroigwe(Mortimore),Ogidi Ibeawuchi, Christian Chukwu, Nwabueze Nwankwo, Stanley Okoronkwo, Chimezie Ngadi, Foster Ikeagu, Emeka Onyedika, Kenneth Ilodigwe, Alex Nwosu, Harrison Mecha, Damian Odoh and Ikechukwu Ezedinma.
Those who joined in the late 70s include Aloy Atuegbu, Nnamdi Nwokocha, Emma Merenini, Christian Nwokocha and Ignatius Ilechukwu and Godwin Gbenimacho.
Christian Madu and Johnny Egbuonu also had stints with them in the Mid 70s.
Enugu Rangers was birthed in the year 1970 after the end of the Nigerian civil war by the then governor of the East Central State of Nigeria and was named by late Justice Ikpeazu, who was one of the founders of the football club.
In the same year of the football club establishment, it was a big surprise that the new club got to the finals. They tried in subsequent years and have skillfully played hard enough in both National and African matches, but in as much as they played better and far ahead of any other team in Nigeria, it has always been difficult for the club winning the matches.
It has been on record that Rangers International Football Club has won various national trophies and been attributed as the best and most successful football clubs in Nigeria prior to the creation of other successful ones like Aba warriors known as “Enyimba Football Club”, the Shooting Stars FC Ibadan and others.
Their success has been extended to other national trophies and championship such as the challenge cup which they have won 5 times between the year 1974 – 1983.
From the year 1974 – 1984 they participated in various national tournaments such as the Nigerian National League which they won 6 times within the time frame.
They have also made a name in Africa, as they emerged among the finals in 1975, in the Africa Cup of Championships.
In the year 1976 during the creation of states from the then East Central State, Anambra and Imo was created, while Enugu remains the capital of Anambra State, Owerri was and is still the capital of Imo State, this led to the splitting and movement of some officials and players to others state.
Some of the coaches that migrated to other states as new football clubs were formed includes Dan Anyiam, Isacc Nnado and Pauline Nzerem, football players like Harrison Mecha, Kelechi Emetole and others.
Throughout the subsequent years, Rangers International Football Club has won the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) 7 times and has records of outstanding performances in other leagues and tournaments.
It is also the second-most successful team in the Nigeria Premier League, and it’s since its establishment qualifies among the best soccer teams in the world.
It has been one of the stable Football clubs in Nigeria, as it has never in its history been relegated to the second division of the Nigeria Premier League.
