WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING TO ENYIMBA FC?/

7-time Champions of the Nigeria top flight, Enyimba Football Club of Aba are no longer the force they used to be in the league and whatever memories of their back to back CAF Champions League triumphs from fourteen years ago remains, it’s soon to become vague tales and matters of mere reference, seeing the dark, narrow path the Elephant travels. On Sunday, the boys in blue were guests of arch rivals and stooping giants, Kano Pillars in one of the Matchday 12 matches in the NPFL.         Take nothing away from Gbenga Ogunbote’s men, they put up a brave fight, but to no avail, for a 10-man Pillars made light work of their rivals, in comfortable fashion, defeating them 3-1.         The Sani Abacha Stadium, once a fortress for Masu Gida, had been invaded and sacked in recent times. The result of the colossus losing its invincibility had uncharacteristically cost two Managers their jobs.         Meanwhile, when Enyimba refused to renew Kadiri Ikhana’s ( now Coach of Pillars ) contract at the end of the 2015 season; despite securing the club’s seventh league crown, it was clear they’d have little patience with the next manager if he failed, failure by a long stretch of their standards being ‘not winning a silverware’.       The club’s hierarchy was quick to wrap of the deal for Warriors Wolves’ Paul Aigbogun, who was at the time, in truth, the best in the trade for what he achieved with the South South club albeit it had come over the course of three seasons.         Subsequently, Enyimba would qualify for the group stages of the CAF Champions League after a five-year absence. But, 2016 was calamitous, a crevice opened up and swallowed the rich tradition of the People’s Elephants in one fell swoop it had seem. No doubt, Aigbogun’s reign will go down as one of the worst in their history.         Crashing out of the CAFCL, the Federation Cup and falling off the track in their title defence, long before the final leg of the season had gotten underway. It seemed they drank from a poisoned chalice and the effects seethed slowly, and intravenously ; the damage done, until it was too late to salvage.         The choice of Gbenga Ogunbote as Coach this season is not only testament of the desperation of the club but also a clear lack objective.         Until his recon missions to Shooting Stars in two successive seasons, Ogunbote was a club Manager of a different reputation. He’d managed a team in the semi finals of the Champions League a year before in the Confederations Cup.       He would however, slip down that steep height and down to Sharks FC, Giwa FC before 3SC all through that journey, the man was battered, let down and ended scrapping for whatever was offered.       So, how he landed the prized seat of Head Coach at Enyimba was and remains baffling. Add to the ignominy of the club’s permanent home ground supposedly undergoing repair works since last term, only, the details remain officially shrouded in secrecy. It is almost clear that the club is also grappling with the reality of barely staying afloat.       Their relevance in the NPFL may linger still, but certainly only for a while because very little has changed since their 10th place finish last term, their performance so far this season proves it so.***prbxselfnetwork***