Afrinvest West Africa Group Managing Director Ike Chioke has called for improved transparency, stronger governance and wider corporate involvement in the Nigeria Premier Football League after Enugu Rangers sealed their ninth league title, Tidesports source reports. 

Rangers clinched the 2025/26 NPFL crown with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Ikorodu City in Lagos on Sunday, completing another successful campaign that underlined their dominance in Nigerian football history.

Chioke said the moment was deeply emotional, describing Rangers’ latest triumph as evidence of the progress made since Afrinvest’s partnership with the club began in 2023.

“Excited is an understatement. I am elated. It has been an incredible journey, and coming out of the stadium this evening to see our team carry the cup for the second time in three years has been nothing less than fascinating and amazing,” Chioke told our correspondent.

He added that Afrinvest remained committed to its relationship with the club and would continue to support its long-term growth.

“We are very proud of what the boys have achieved, and we are super excited that this partnership will continue and take them to even greater heights,” Chioke said.

Beyond club success, he urged the NPFL to adopt stronger standards of administration and fairness across the league to attract more corporate sponsors.

Chioke noted that while Nigerian football had improved in recent years, significant gaps remained in organisation, infrastructure and matchday experience.

“Over the course of watching the game religiously and following Nigerian football closely for the past three seasons, from when we started the partnership in 2023 to the end of this 2025/26 season, I can see that Nigerian football has improved, but there is still a whole lot more that we can do,” he said.

He highlighted stadium access, team management and prize money distribution as areas needing urgent reform, while stressing the importance of fairness and equity in the domestic game.

“There is much more we can do in team management, organising football stadiums and making it easier for fans to come in and enjoy the games,” he said.

“There is also much more we can do in developing the teams. Even the way prize money is shared can be improved. But, most importantly, there has to be equity and fairness in football.”

Chioke also referenced officiating standards in the title-deciding match, suggesting that consistency and balance were crucial to building trust in the league.

“You could see in the final game that our boys played their hearts out, but you could also see that the referee was not totally balanced. We need to bring our standards closer to international football,” he said.

“It is that ability to bring transparency and discipline that will allow more corporate sponsorship to come into Nigerian football.”

He further called on major Nigerian companies to increase investment in football, noting that Afrinvest is relatively small compared to large corporations capable of supporting multiple clubs across the NPFL.

“We have over 20 teams in the NPFL going into next season. The Dangotes of this world, the banks, the cement companies and many others should really be sponsoring football in Nigeria,” he said.

He urged the NPFL to prioritise transparency and discipline to strengthen the league’s commercial appeal.

“I will be excited for Afrinvest to be given the opportunity to partner with the league at that level and hopefully elevate the game even further within Nigeria,” he said.

Rangers CEO Amobi Ezeaku also praised Afrinvest’s role in the club’s success, describing the company as central to its strategic transformation.

“You cannot speak about Rangers and what we have achieved without acknowledging Afrinvest’s impact,” Ezeaku told our correspondent.

The 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) came to an end last Sunday with excitement, drama, and intrigue like never before, as the winner and clubs going for relegation were not sure until the last game.

Rangers International football club,of Enugu is the champion 2025/2026  of NPFL as they narrowly beat hard fighting Ikorodu FC of Lagos 1-2, in Lagos. It was a high profile  game and tense, hence both teams have something at stake.

Before the encounter, if Rangers lose or draw, the title will elude them, and, on the other hand, if Ikorodu wins, they will secure a ticket to play in the continent.

However, stakeholders in the football environment have lauded GTI Asset Management and Trust Limited, one of the major sponsors of NPFL, for keeping its partnership deal to the end.

They said GTI partnering with the NPFL was the catalyst for the successful story and smooth running of the league.

A member of the Katsina United supporters club, Ahmed Garuba, said the just-concluded league was one of the best in history in terms of officiating, even though there were pockets of errors.

“Allah, I must say that this is one of the best seasons so far; nobody heard referees were owned, besides the officiating was relatively better than the previous seasons.

“Honestly GTI tried; they kept their own part of the sponsorship and I’m sure it was the success story of the league,” Garuba said.

In an early statement issued by GTI Head of Media and Publicity, Andrew Ekejiuba, heartily congratulated all the 20 clubs that participated in the just-concluded season, including those that secured continental tickets and those unfortunately relegated.

The statement further said that GTI will continue to partner with the NPFL as Nigerian football steadily progresses toward greater continental and global relevance, judging by the quality and excitement witnessed throughout the 2025/2026 season.

“The just-concluded NPFL season will go down in history as one of the most competitive and exciting campaigns ever witnessed in Nigerian football, with the title race extending to the final day before a winner eventually emerged,” he said.

By: Tonye Orabere

Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt, on Sunday, secured one of the CAF Champions League tickets after finishing in second position in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

United humbled visiting Katsina United 3-0 in one of the last games of the season, which took place at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.

The encounter in Amiesimaka Stadium was gripped with anxieties and fears following the crucial nature of the game; hence, either a loss or a draw will totally eliminate them from the title contest.

There was a dramatic scene that happened when the center referee blew the final whistle; thereafter, a false alarm was raised that Ikorodu FC had equalized 2-2. It was obvious that once Ikorodu equalized, Rivers United automatically became the title winners.

The celebration at Adokiye Amiesimaka was massive after hearing a false alarm, as many believed that United had won the NPFL trophy, but behold, that was actually a false alarm from an unknown person in the stadium.

Speaking shortly after the match, the chairman of the Rivers United supporters club, Sunny Oguh, popularly known as “Total,” expressed sadness and disappointment, saying that expectations of Rivers people were not met.

“As I speak, my supporters, club members, are not happy at all because our expectations were to win the trophy.

Well, we have consoled ourselves that at least we will be in the continent. We are optimistic that we will do well in the continent and make Nigeria proud, Oguh said.

By: Tonye Orabere