UFERE: ENYIMBA WILL BOUNCE BACK STRONGER NEXT SEASON
Chinedu Ufere believes next season will be ‘far much better’ than the just-ended campaign where Enyimba largely struggled and eventually escaped the drop on the last day.
Thanks to a 3-0 win against relegated El Kanemi Warriors in Aba on Sunday, the People’s Elephant finished the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season on 11th position, with 49pts, but would have been demoted to the second-tier Nigeria National League if they had lost to the Desert Warriors.
Speaking to www.Enyimbafc.net, the 22-year-old former Niger Tornadoes and Kwara United midfielder noted with disappointment that the season didn’t go as planned, but added that such outcomes are not unfamiliar in football.
“Firstly, I want to thank God that the season has come and gone without any major injury and no life was lost,” he noted.
“It was a challenging season because at some point it seemed like the Club was going down. But I thank God that everybody in the team – the coaches, backroom staff, players and fans – showed character, they showed commitment, they fought, and we’re still in the league.
“This was not the season we planned for. This wasn’t where we planned to end, but this is football, and anything can happen.
“I appreciate the players for all they did – the commitment. They were up and doing despite the challenges. Sometimes, it’s like that – you’ll see a big team falling. After the ups and downs, we came out stronger.”
“We believe next season will be better, far better than this season.”
The President’s Federation Cup presents the 2-time African champions her only chance of playing continental football next season.
Emmanuel Deutsch’s side face Gombe United in the Round of 32, and Ufere says they’ll do everything possible to win the competition and feature in the CAF Confederation Cup.
“In the Federation Cup, we are playing Gombe United in the next round, and we are going to give everything because we want to take the team back to where it belongs – in the continent,” he stated.
“The Federation Cup is our only chance, and we are not going to take it lightly. We are going all out. Every game is a final!
“And I know if we can replicate our performance in our last home game in the NPFL when we face Gombe United, we are going to come out victorious.
“In subsequent games, if we show the commitment we showed in our last game, winning the trophy won’t be beyond us.”