Abia State government, yesterday, confirmed former Arsenal striker, Kanu Nwankwo, as Enyimba of Aba’s new chairman. Kanu replaces Felix Anyansi-Agwu, who led the club for 24 years.

Governor Alex Otti dissolved the Enyimba board, led by Anyansi-Agwu, shortly the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) Championship Play-off, which the Peoples Elephant won to become the 2022/23 league champions.

Kanu, 46, is expected to lead Enyimba to success in both the CAF Champions League and the 2023/24 season’s league and Federation Cup competitions, which his predecessor won on several occasions.

As Enyimba chairman, the former Iwuanyanwu Nationale star will work with his Ajax Amsterdam former team mate, Finidi George, who is the club’s coach. Both players were part of Louis van Gaal’s team, which won the UEFA Champions League in 1995.

Kanu came to national limelight in 1993, when he was top scorer at the FIFA U-17 World Cup hosted by Japan.

Three years later, he captained Nigeria to the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, scoring memorable goals, including the tie deciding semifinal strike against Brazil.

In a career that spanned over 20 years, Kanu also played for Inter Milan, West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth. He was a member of the Arsenal ‘Invincibles,’ the Arsene Wenger-led side that went a whole season undefeated in the English Premier League. (The Guardian)

•PHOTO: [FILES] Former Nigerian footballer Nwankwo Kanu celebrate his team’s win during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) quarter final football match between Nigeria and South Africa at Cairo international stadium on July 9, 2019. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)

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