Sports
‘I Will Resign If Rangers Lose League Title’
Rangers CEO Paul Chibuzor Ozor has promised to resign if the club do not win the League title, or finish in second place.
The Flying Antelopes have not won a trophy since 1984 when they claimed their last League title and finished the past season in sixth place.
Ozor is now determined to address 27 years of hurt. “If I don’t get it, I will leave,” he said.
“This time around, I want to win the league. I want to get the cup this time. I want to hit first or second.
“If I don’t get it, I’m telling you publicly, I will resign.”
Ozor is confident that Rangers have the players to achieve his ambition.
“We have very good players, and I can tell you that if we go for our away games and are given 50-50 officiating, we will win.”
Rangers have a proud history of winning trophies, with six league titles, 5 FA Cups, 1 Cup winners Cup and 1 African Cup of Champions trophies.
The club have also finished as FA Cup finalists 7 times, with their last appearance coming in 2007.
But their chances have been compromised in recent years by poor financing, which has seen them fall behind the likes of nouveau riché Enyimba and Dolphins.
Ozor is determined to change that.
“It is not that Rangers are poorly funded. It’s just that in the past it took a while for the money to get to them because of the beaureaucracy involved in getting the money from government.
“But now, we are doing things better and the governor has been very supportive so we now send our request on time and make sure the money comes out on time.
“When the money gets to the players on time, they will perform very well.”
Vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi have lent their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State-born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that: “This speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people.”
Raphael Onyedika has now emerged as a major doubt for the Super Eagles’ must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
The midfielder was forced out early from last week’s league game against Standard Liege.
He has not recovered from the injury and so will miss today’s league match against Gent and may also miss a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Super Eagles take on Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, before they face Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later in crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Al-Khalood defender, William Troost-Ekong, has shared his experience on the difficulties of winning the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while describing it a must win trophy.
The former Watford FC defender has competed in the tournament three times but has yet to lift the trophy.
“I’ve been there three times now, bronze medal, silver medal, but I haven’t had the chance to win it. That remains my ultimate goal,” he told Tidesports source.
“It means so much to me and all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”