Rangers International FC General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, Barrister Amobi Ezeaku, believes the spirit of the late ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, a former captain and coach of the club, is moving with the team, Completesports.com reports.
Amobi spoke moments after the Flying Antelopes edged past Plateau United 1-0 in Saturday’s Federation Cup quarter-final match in Abuja.
Chidozie Okorie’s strike, three minutes past the half-hour mark, handed the six-time champions the solitary match winner. The Flying Antelopes held on tenaciously until the final whistle, exacting sweet revenge on the Tin City side and sealing their place in the semi-finals, scheduled for 18 May.
Also Read: Onyedika Relishes Abakaliki FC’s Stunning Federation Cup Q/Final Win Over Nasarawa United
A visibly elated yet humble Amobi recounted the impact of Christian Chukwu’s passing on the club, saying his spirit is propelling the team’s campaign for silverware this term as a pathway back into African inter-club competition.
“It’s difficult,” the Rangers boss said, reflecting on how the club has coped since Chukwu’s death last month.
“Everything we do this year, the memories of ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu will continue to resonate in all of us. Until his death, he continued to speak to us. He spoke to me, personally, a whole lot of times. So, it’s a very difficult one. You can see the poor run at ‘The Cathedral’ and the psychological effect of his demise on our players.
“Death—especially that of someone we love so dearly—is always difficult, and it’s weighing heavily on our team. But we’re happy that his spirit is moving with us. We hope to go all the way in the Federation Cup in his memory.”
Chukwu died on 12 April 2025, aged 74. Until his death, he served as Technical Director of Rangers. During his illustrious career, he captained the club, won several trophies, and later coached the team.
He also coached SAFA FC in Lebanon and assisted the late Sebastian Brodericks-Imasuen in winning the inaugural FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1985 in China. In addition, he assisted Clemens Westerhof during Nigeria’s 1994 AFCON title win in Tunisia and at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
Amobi Ezeaku reflected on the nail-biting quarter-final clash against “a decent” Plateau United side, nearly admitting it was a “sweet revenge”.
Appearing humble in victory, Amobi acknowledged that the 2024/25 season has not been a pleasant one for the NPFL defending champions.
“This is Rangers, and we take every victory with a sense of humility,” he added.
“It’s not been a wonderful season for us as defending champions. The ups and downs, the shock of crashing out of the CAF Champions League very early. Then there’s the rebuilding process we’re undertaking at Rangers, in line with our sustainability plan.
“So, there’s a lot of rejigging going on within the team. But today, you could see the fighting spirit in the boys and the entire team—from the first minute to the last.
“Plateau United is a very big club, a good and decent side, managed by one of the best coaches in the land, Mangut Mbwas.
“So it’s a victory we receive with comfort and joy, but also with humility. I haven’t seen the results from the other quarter-final matches at the other centres, but we know tougher opponents await. Still, this is Rangers—we never say die.”
When asked if the President Federation Cup could serve as a platform for the Coal City Flying Antelopes to return to continental football next season, Barrister Amobi said the semi-final match will be entertaining and expressed full confidence in the technical and tactical abilities of Fidelis Ilechukwu, Rangers’ Technical Adviser.
“As I said earlier, Rangers is a very humble team. No two matches are the same. We don’t yet know who our semi-final opponents will be,” Amobi stated.
“Whether it’s Ikorodu City FC or Kwara United, I trust the tactical and technical abilities of Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu. He’s one of the best in the country. I can tell you for free—it’s going to be an entertaining game. It could go either way, but Rangers will give our all.
“You saw what happened today. We played with sweat, with blood, with every fibre of our being, and I thank God we were able to grind out the result. It was hard-fought.”
By Sab Osuji
