Tobi Ige Iyanda scored in the 15th minute at the Enyimba International Stadium on Sunday 1 November 2026, and Enyimba International FC beat Kun Khalifat 1-0. The People's Elephant had a penalty saved five minutes later, with Ihemekwele's spot-kick stopped by goalkeeper Esomchi, and still held on, which lifted them to 11 points after 11 matches. On our recalculated NPFL table that is 17th place in a 20-club league.

Enyimba publish no wage figures.

Four goals once, then very little

Figures come from our match data after matchday 11.

Three wins, two draws, six defeats.

The split is brutal. In Aba Enyimba have won three, drawn one and lost two from six games, which is 10 points at 1.67 a game. On the road they have drawn once and lost four for a single point, 0.20 a game, with three goals scored and nine conceded. Overall it is 1.00. Stark.

Six of the 12 league goals came in two matches. Ifeanyi Ihemekwele, Christopher Ezinwa and Iyanda have two each. Nobody else has more than one.

One entry needs a caution. The events feed lists Emeka Onyema's own goal at Katsina United on six minutes under Katsina United's name, and only that reading squares with the 4-2 score. We count it as a Katsina United goal, as our matchday 8 report did when it had Onyema turning the ball into his own net.

Our ranking counts every finished or abandoned game, among them Enugu Rangers' 2-1 win over Nasarawa United on 18 September, which stands even though the match was abandoned and puts Rangers on 21 points from 10 games, and it orders level teams by goal difference. Enyimba are 17th. They stand a point behind Kun Khalifat and Kwara United on 12 and a point ahead of Abia Warriors, who have 10 from 11 games.

Deutsch, Ukaegbu and a quarrel over roles

The Abia State Government announced Cameroonian Emmanuel Deutsch as head coach on 25 January 2026, a week after Deji Ayeni had been named.

Since then the titles have blurred. Lawrence Ukaegbu told Complete Sports on 24 October that “the storm is over”. He put the earlier trouble down to a misunderstanding of roles. He called Deutsch the club's technical adviser.

Assistant Kelvin Ejeh had resigned on 3 October, citing differences with Deutsch. We found no announcement of a dismissal or a new appointment up to 5 November. Who picks the team? We could not establish it.

The ground Enyimba share

The Enyimba International Stadium on Dan Fodio Road holds 16,000 after its 2018 renovation, and the Kun Khalifat game was played there. This season it has a second tenant, since Abia Warriors chairman John Obuh said in August that his club would play its home games in Aba while the Umuahia ground is being renovated.

The postponed 22 October fixture is therefore a strange one, nominally away for Enyimba and probably played on the turf they call home. We found no reason for the postponement. No new date either.

Home matters.

Ten of Enyimba's 11 points have come in front of their own fans, and our guide to NPFL clubs and stadiums lists the other grounds.

What Enyimba players earn

No individual salary at Enyimba is public. The only hard number is the ₦2m monthly minimum approved for NPFL players by the National Sports Commission on 23 June 2026, which we set out on our Plateau United page.

Arrears remain an allegation. In August the Legit.ng website reported forward Mujeeb Odufeso Babatunde's claim, made in a piece about his knee surgery and alleged club neglect, that he was paid half his salary and went unpaid for some months, including July. The club's media director, Mazi Abraham Jaka, said he remained on pay while away from Aba.

Our view

Kanu Nwankwo wrote on the club's X account on 22 September that “a win can be a propeller”, and the away column has not obliged. Enyimba finished 11th last season on 49 points. A side that wins in Aba but takes one point from five trips elsewhere has a travel problem before it has a talent problem. Our profile of the chairman tracks how he got here.

This article was most recently revised and updated 25 seconds ago