The 2026/27 Euromatch NPFL enters Matchday 12 this weekend, though some clubs have played fewer matches than others because of postponements caused by earlier clashes between domestic and continental fixtures. With Nigerian clubs bowing out of CAF inter-club competitions after the preliminary rounds, domestic action has rightly reclaimed centre stage.
Nowhere was this renewed focus more evident than in midweek, when Enugu Rangers edged Bendel Insurance 1-0 in a rescheduled heavyweight clash in Awka. The tactical duel between two multi-title-winning managers, Fidelis Ilechukwu and Kennedy Boboye, lifted the Flying Antelopes to the summit of the table. Beyond the scoreline, a fascinating trend emerges: the top four spots are currently occupied by teams led by proven league-winning coaches.
Enugu Rangers: Defending champions and pacesetters, guided by Ilechukwu. Now in his fourth season in Enugu, he has steered the club to two titles in the last three campaigns (2023/24 and 2025/26).
Rivers United: Under Finidi George, who took charge in 2024. Finidi, alongside his trusted assistant Yema, previously masterminded Enyimba’s 2023 title triumph.
Kano Pillars: Led by Daniel Ogunmodede, who joined Sai Masu Gida ahead of this season. Ogunmodede earned widespread acclaim for his distinctive “Ijaball” philosophy, which kept Remo Stars in title contention for three straight seasons and delivered a historic crown in 2025.
Bendel Insurance: Headed by Kennedy Boboye, who took over midway through last season. Known for his assertive, uncompromising style, Boboye previously won league titles with Plateau United (2017) and Akwa United (2021).
Championship pedigree isn’t limited to the early frontrunners. In total, six managers with prior league titles started the current campaign, a concentration of experience that is rare even among Europe’s top five leagues. It outstrips even Italy’s Serie A, which is known for recycling successful coaches.
The other two title-winning managers have had contrasting fortunes. Abia Warriors’ Imama Amakpakabo, who won the crown with Enugu Rangers in 2016, is battling at the lower end of the table, while Usman Abdallah, a 2019 winner with Enyimba, was recently dismissed by Ranchers Bees after a sluggish start.
Shooting Stars’ Salisu Yusuf also deserves a mention, having served as assistant to Kadiri Ikhana during Kano Pillars’ 2008 triumph. Their varied fortunes underline an important truth: hiring a proven winner doesn’t guarantee instant success, but it certainly tilts the odds in a club’s favour.
Significantly, this wealth of managerial experience has not gone unnoticed by the national team. Yusuf and Amakpakabo served as assistants under Gernot Rohr during his five-year tenure with the Super Eagles. Finidi worked alongside José Peseiro before a brief stint in charge, while current national team boss Eric Chelle is assisted by Ogunmodede and Ilechukwu. Exposure to elite international stages, including AFCON, World Cup qualifiers and the 2018 World Cup, gives these coaches high-level insight.
Ultimately, this accumulated knowledge should go beyond individual club success and raise the technical standard of the entire league. After a disappointing continental outing for Nigerian clubs this season, the hope remains that a new generation of indigenous coaches will conquer Africa, as Kadiri Ikhana and Okey Emordi did with Enyimba, winning the CAF Coach of the Year award in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Stephen Keshi made it a hat-trick for Nigerian coaches in 2005 after guiding Togo to qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. That era remains the gold standard for coaches in Nigeria.
