The Pride of Rivers yesterday were confirmed as the 2021-22 Champions of NPFL. The Portharcourt-based club were declared champions following Plateau United’s slump at Uyo during the round of 35.
Here are things you may not know about Rivers United.
- The club was a merger of the defunct Dolphins FC and Shark FC, which are managed by the state government in 2016. They replaced Dolphins FC in the Nigeria Premier League. They had won the league three times before the merger in 1994, 2008 and 2008-9.
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River’s United’s crest comprises both a shark and a dolphin as a result of the merge.
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Stanley Eguma who was then with Dolphins FC was retained as Rivers United manager after the Merger. Stanley Eguma is the oldest manager in NPFL currently.
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Stanley Eguma was abducted in 2021 along Enugu road with his two assists returning from an NPFL game they played in Adamawa. Two days after his abduction, he was freed in a statement confirmed by the general manager of the club. But the amount paid in exchange for his emancipation was not revealed.
Rivers United who are currently on 71 points with four games to spare could become the first NPFL club to win the league with the most points.
- The club has two players jostling for the top scorer award in Chijioke Akuneto (16 goals) and Rafiu Kayode (14 goals). This is a landmark in the history of the NPFL.
