A new week dawns, wrapped in the same old fog of uncertainty at our darling club. We keep straining our eyes, hoping for a glimpse of that clear path to progress we were promised when this whole phase began. So far, all we have seen are potholes and landmines.
Last week’s dramas and emergency meetings have left staff and fans locked in a bitter tirade of blame. Name calling flies, threats are laid bare, all baptized in the holy name of saving the soul of Enyimba. As if the soul is not sitting in the corner, watching its own funeral.
Recently, I stumbled upon a discussion and more a feud. Who should do what, who must not, what should happen, what must never, and then the plot took a disappointing twist.
It was not something new, but this time the subtlety was absent. First, the club’s media team released a statement promoting the government appointed Sporting Director, Chinedu Eke, to the role of Chief Scouting Officer, a promotion that was actually a demotion. What followed was a rebuttal so fierce and so public that it ripped away the curtain and showed us the backstage chaos in full glare.
It was shameful. Embarrassing. A spectacle that leaves Enyimba, the chairman, and the state government all looking like performers in a poorly directed play.
After ruminating on it all, here is what I am holding onto. The government appears to be on a quiet mission to reclaim the club from those they believe have held it hostage. But if this silent war is not ended with wisdom, the only victory will be a shadow of a great football club. When the smoke clears, Enyimba may have to start afresh, with almost everything erased.
In my short stay on this planet, I have learned that those who know how to read the room, who sense when the welcome mat has been pulled, often walk away with their dignity intact. But when you overstay, especially when you are dining at another’s table, the end is predictable. Disgrace, either given, received, or both.
If I were the chairman of Enyimba, with these overhead appointments, I would hand in my resignation rather than pretend not to see the plot and make counter appointments. But here we are. And as always, it is the club, the team, the fans, the legacy, that bears the brunt.
This is not a minor misunderstanding. It is a deep, slow burning crisis, eating away at the fabric of the club until one day we will look up and find there is nothing left to fight for.
So here is my Tuesday musing, served with a dash of bitter truth. If you truly love Enyimba, Mr Chairman, read the room. And for heaven’s sake, let go. I mean, you have already written a pathetic legacy for yourself. Or are you still not done?
Enyimba Enyi
