FC Ifeanyi Ubah chairman, Chukwuma Ubah, has dedicated the club’s hard-earned 1-0 win against wasteful Rivers United in a match-day three clash in Nnewi to his initiation into the prestigious Knight of St John International, Completesports.com reports.
On a night the Anambra Warriors were made to sweat by their vastly experienced guests with delightful rendition of beautiful football, Chigozie Chilekwu contrived a moment of brilliance to steer the ball into the far post six minutes after the start and the home side held out for a famous first ever home win against the Pride of Rivers.
The hosts tightly screed their heads onto their necks, covering every blade of the grass till the final whistle, much to the relief of their fans, including themselves and their boss as the win raised their points haul to seven in three 2019/2020 NPFL games.
And afterwards, a much delighted Ubah found time to speak to Completesports.com, saying it was a fulfilment of ‘an earlier promise from God that he won’t lose games.
Asked if he was dedicating the victory to his new ‘spiritual height’ following an elaborate initiation ceremony at the Basilica of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Onitsha, 24 hours before the epic clash, the young club boss responded gleefully.
“Of course, I have always been present at all our training sessions, at all our preparations, I’ve always been there, Ubah said.
“Even during recruitment when we look at the players we would sign, I have always been around before we make our final selections for signing.
“But this time, before this game, I mean, in the past few days, quite unlike me, I haven’t been around in our preparation for this game since Wednesday.
“I actually came in today (on Sunday). I’ve been occupied by preparation for the initiation process.
“By God’s grace, I was initiated on Saturday into the Knight of St John International, (at The Basilica of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church) and this is a good one.
“God promised me that I won’t lose any game and He has kept His promise. I give Him the glory. Yes, I dedicate this win to Him and my new spiritual elevation.”
The young Capital Oil and Gas club chairman refuses to be drawn into setting a target for his side which has mainly rookie players this term.
“I don’t like putting myself under pressure,” he said.
“I like taking it one game at a time and we don’t think about two games at a time.
“Game by game, we see where we are and after one game, we begin to think about the next game and we always try to do our best in any given match”.
Ubah also discloses his club’s shift in policy – signing greenhorns and the motive behind their impressive form.
“It is all about commitment. This (FC Ifeanyi Ubah) is a platform. It’s all about you (the players) taking advantage of the platform to go higher [in their careers].
“These are young boys and you know that football these days is about energy, intelligence and tactics.
“We do our best to make the best choice in terms of shortlisting them and you can see that it is paying off”.
