Ibrahim Mustapha: It would have been disappointing if Enyimba didnāt win 2019 NPFL title
Enyimba FC striker, Ibrahim Mustapha has said it would have been a big disappointment, if his team didnāt win the just concluded NPFL Super 6. According to him, āthe Peoples elephantsā are the best club in the domestic league. The former El-Kanemi Warriors player also spoke to Trust Sports on his first NPFL title, the Super 6 playoff and his future plans. How happy are you with your teamās victory in the just concluded NPFL Super 6 playoff championship in Lagos? It is a thing of joy that against all odds, we emerged champions of the 2019 Nigeria Professional Football League. By this achievement, we have once again proved in words and deeds that we are the most successful club in Nigerian football. This is our eighth league title. I really want to thank God for making this possible. As a matter of fact, this is my first league title and I am extremely excited. Whom are you dedicating this victory to? Without any hesitation, I dedicate this victory to first and foremost almighty God, then my family especially my dad and my teeming fans. I want to most sincerely thank them for their prayers and support. They have always been there for me. I hope to win more titles, if I continue with my career in the NPFL. Did this victory come to you as a surprise? Not at all, it didnāt come to me as a surprise because everybody knows the quality of players in Enyimba. Instead it would have been a huge disappointment, if we didnāt win the league title. If you look at the players in Enyimba and their experience, you would agree with me that we were the best. This is however, not to underrate any of our opponents. Donāt forget that even last season, we were going to win the title before the LMC stopped the league prematurely. It was a painful thing but we all had to move on. However, everyone in Enyimba resolved that we would not miss the title this year. So as we set out in the Super 6, nothing other than the trophy was our target. Were you this confident even when Enyimba lost to Kano Pillars in your second match? To be honest with you, we were all sad that we lost all three points to Kano Pillars. We deserved to get at least a point but in the end, we lost the match. It was not a comfortable situation for us but we still believed that along the way, something might happen and we would go back to the top of the table. So when Pillars drew 1-1 with Rangers, we were very happy. We knew right then that we were going to win the playoff. In the end, it happened exactly the way we imagined because Pillars couldnāt catch up with us again. Lobi Stars, Akwa United and FC IfeanyiUbah failed to pick continental ticket. Among the three clubs, which of them really disappointed you? To be honest, I am really surprised at the failure of Akwa United to pick a continental ticket. They topped their group convincingly and to know that they didnāt qualify for the continent is surprising. I am sure their fans will be so disappointed. I am also surprised because I know the quality in that team. They have some of the best players in the league. How they failed to pick one of the tickets is really a mystery to me. Well, that is football for you. I just hope they will go back to the drawing board and come out stronger next season. Which of the matches was the most difficult for Enyimba in the Super 6? Without any doubt, our match with Rangers was the most difficult. It didnāt come to us as a surprise because we all know the rivalry between the two clubs. Anytime we play against Rangers, they try everything to beat us and it is never easy with either of the teams. At the Super 6, they gave us tough time but in the end, we proved to them that we are the better side. I am happy that they didnāt derail our ambition in the competition. Had we lost to them, it would have cost us the title. How satisfied are you with your personal performance? I am very satisfied because I put in my best anytime I was given the opportunity to play. You know in Enyimba, there are so many good players. There are many good strikers so we usually rotate the striking role. We are a united family so once any player is asked to drop to the bench, he understands. So in as much as I didnāt score, I feel I did well by engaging in team work which is actually the secret weapon of Enyimba. As a striker of repute, you must be disappointed that you didnāt score at least a goalā¦. Yeah as a striker, I feel disappointed that I could not score any goal. However, in my religion, we believe in the will of Allah. He decides our future. He is the ultimate. We as human beings cannot decide for him. When I was going into the competition, I had the belief that I would score goals. However, it didnāt come to pass but I still believe it was Godās will for me. Moreover, I was once down with injury so that also affected my game. I returned to the team few matches before the end of the regular season. But in all, I thank God for everything. What is your assessment of the standard of play at the Super 6? It was highly competitive. All the six clubs put in quality performances. Although they could not win a single match, FC IfeanyiUbah were not as weak as someone might think. When they played against us, we had to dig deep to beat them. At a point, the match was tied at 1-1. And if you look at the result of all the matches, the scores were usually very close. It was a very close race. Are you surprised that Kano Pillars didnāt lose a single match? No, I am not surprised. They deserve that record because they are solid in all departments. In the end, it was only two points that separated us. This means they too deserved to win the championship. As former champions, they deserve some respect. What is the next thing for you? Are you moving on to another club? For now, I have not decided. My contract with Enyimba ends this season so we may go into another negotiation. I will go back and think about my future before anything. Enyimba are the best club in Nigeria at the moment so it is a thing of honour to play for them. I have really enjoyed my stay in the club. Moreover, I now have the opportunity to play in the CAF Champions League so letās wait and see how it goes. Read the full article
