BY SAB OSUJI

 

A passionate appeal has been made to the hierarchy of reigning Nigeria domestic top flight champions, Rangers International, to bring the country's foremost club supporters under one indivisible umbrella to ensure massive and sustainable support base during their 2024/2025 CAF Champions League campaign, Exclusivenews.com.ng reports.

Rangers emerged undisputed 2023/2024 NPFL champions in emphatic fashion, earning the bragging right to hoist Nigeria's flag in the continent's most prized inter club championship for the 11th time.

The Coal City Flying Antelopes had previously represented the country in the continent's most glamorous inter club championship 10 times before, reaching the final only in 1975, losing to Hafia of Guinea 3-2 on aggregate, following a 2-1 defeat in Conakry, Guinea and a disappointing 1-1 draw in the crucial reverse fixture in Lagos two weeks later.

CAF Champions League is dominated by North Africa with Al Ahly lifting it a record 12 times with Zamalek winning it five times.

Esperance have won four times and TP Mazembe three times with Enyimba of Aba winning it twice in 2003 and 2004, representing the only team from Nigeria to have annexed the African most glamorous inter club silverware.

With Rangers on the card for their 11th attempt on the trophy, Nze Jude Belonwu, spokesman of the Onitsha Branch of Rangers Supporters Club, believes that a unified Rangers Supporters Club will go a long way in ensuring that the Coal City Flying Antelopes crossed the continental glory Rubbicorn.

"It's important to once again congratulate the leadership of Rangers for a job well done in lifting the 2023/2024 NPFL, making it the 8th time the club have won the trophy", starts Nze Belonwu when accosted by Exclusivenews.com.ng.

"The next target is to conquer Africa in the Champions League and which is their 12th attempt. Having won the then African Club Winners Cup (now CAF Confederation Cup), the next is clearly the Champions League, which I believe, now is the time, given the current squad and quality of management as well as Enugu State Government Support.

"It's also important to remind the management of Rangers that the Supporters Club, being the 12th player on the pitch, need to be harmonised for effective support.

"In this regard, it is our considered view and believe that unifying all the states active branches of the Supporters Clubs will go a long way in achieving this objective.

"Enugu branch is not the only branch supporting the club. Much as Enugu is the host and capital mother branch, there's need to ensure that the National Chapter of Rangers Supporters Club is properly constituted by ensuring that its leadership cuts across the entire nation where the club has strong followership base.

"In doing so, we must ensure that every state chapter is represented in the National Supporters Club Exco, ofcourse, those who hold state positions don't need to be in the National Exco.

"Rangers need all the support and backing to conquer the continent in 2024/2025 and by so doing register their name amongst the continent's most successful and glamorous clubs in the continent", Nze Bello posited.