By CHUKWUEMEKA OPARA

Some fans of Rangers International Football Club in Ebonyi on Thursday blamed the team’s abysmal showing so far in the current football season on their adopted home ground of Awka.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Enugu-based team are using the Awka Township Stadium for the second season running as their adopted home ground.

This is due to the ongoing rehabilitation of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu, their traditional home ground.

However, the team have lost their two matches so far in the 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) – 0-2 at home to Abia Warriors and 0-1 away to Lobi Stars of Makurdi.

Speaking on the development, a cross-section of Rangers fans in Abakaliki told NAN that the failure to complete the stadium’s rehabilitation was responsible for the team’s unimpressive performance.

Chika Enwelu, a former Golden Eaglets defender, said even if the players were playing well they might not find their bearing until their return to Enugu.

“I cannot understand the difficulty in fixing the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium’s pitch for nearly two years.

“Several promises were made to the team and fans that work on the stadium would be completed last season.

“So, for them to still be playing in Awka is demoralising to the players,” Enwelu said.

A hotelier, Nduka Obiogbolu, said the players were certainly missing the fervour of the “Cathedral”, as the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium is popularly called.

“I watched the team’s first match against Abia Warriors and saw that the players missed the protection of their fans.

“The Awka fans at a stage started supporting Abia Warriors and the players felt like orphans,” he said.

A trader, Sonia Ibe, however advised the players to adapt to the present situation of playing “away from home”.

“There is little they can do presently than to adapt and make the best of the present situation.

“The team officials need to infuse confidence in the players and make them realise that competing in an abridged league has several complexities,” she said.

Rangers’ Head Coach, Abdul Maikaba, has however assured the fans that in spite of the losses, the team was on the path of progress.

“For instance, we didn’t plan to lose the match against Lobi Stars. But I am happy that the players are playing to instructions.

“Some teams have so far won their two matches and this shows that we also can still win our third and fourth matches and beyond,” Maikaba said. (NAN)

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