Enyimba gropes for missing links

The Aba side, otherwise known as the 'Peoples Elephants' (which is the English translation of Enyimba in Igbo, a language widely spoken in the Eastern Region of Nigeria) had in the last two years, been the African soccer kings, a crown they won back to back and which they still nurse the dream of ensuring a repeat broadcast this year as the first clubside in the continent, have achieved such a feat.

Suddenly, the strength in these human Elephants, have gone perhaps with their endless conquering trods across the rough and thorny wilderness of the continent...so it looks and seems; not with their current shape that is robbed of their normal champions' stuff.  Three matches in their chase of the crown for a third consecutive time, with only one draw, which attracts a lone point.

This could lead to disbandment or an outright flushing of the technical crew in some outfits.  However, the Aba kings' Administrators recognize the fact "that something is wrong with either the players, or the coaches."  And it is against this background that, the Administrator of the side, Anyansi, has decided that, that something, which has gone wrong with the team, would be fished out and dealt with.

"I must confess, there must be something wrong with the team.  This is unusual of Enyimba, a team that had ruled the continent for two consecutive years, and  being respected in the whole of Africa.  The boys cannot be said to have run short of motivation.  We ensure that, all their bonuses are paid as at when due, their allowances have never been toyed with and their salaries are paid on time...so, we do not know what is happening.

"But we can assure our fans and the entire country that, whatever is or are wrong, would be dug out and adequately addressed.  When we resume next month, we do hope that, things would have been sorted out.  The missing links would have been found; whether technical or within the body (players), we are finding out whatever," an embattled Anyansi promised.

The nation's representatives in the continental CAF Cup Champions League managed to pull only a draw against Ajax of Cape Town, South Africa in an away match, suffered a humiliating 0-1 home defeat at the boots of visiting Egyptian Al Ahly and only last week in Morocco, went 1-0 down to their hosts, Raja Casablanca. Three matches with nine points at stake.

 And our Elephants could only chalk-up a miserly one point...and the people are worried that, such does not reflect the colour of  defending champions; and worse still, does not paint a picture of a team that is seriously knocking a honours' gate to become the first three -time victors of the lucreative title.  The people are hoping that, when the referees shrill-on their whistles signalling the commencement of hostilities on August 7, Enyimba would have succeeded to shrug-off whatever is haunting them and pay their guests, Raja Casablanca back in even lesser denominations that the 'coins' with which they were paid in their first meeting.