Reigning Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions, Enyimba, faced criticism for their recent performance against Wydad FC, during which Innocent Gabriel Okey wore a handwritten jersey number. In response, the club has provided an explanation for this unusual occurrence.
Enyimba hosted Wydad FC in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the African Football League at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.
During the match, fans and observers noticed that Innocent Gabriel’s jersey number three was handwritten rather than the usual printed format.
Nigerian football journalist Tobi Adepoju disclosed that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had registered Okey’s number as three instead of five due to an error made by the team secretary.
The mistake was discovered just before the match started, and CAF rules prevented Okey from playing with an unregistered number.
Enyimba, also known as “The People’s Elephant,” lost the match 1-0 to Wydad FC. The team is now focused on their upcoming match against Wydad at the Mohamed V Sports Complex in Morocco, aiming to secure crucial points.
The handwritten jersey number drew attention, but Enyimba’s explanation sheds light on this unusual situation, clarifying that it was an error during the registration process with CAF.
