Football has a brutal memory. It records everything — the celebrations, the complaints, the moral high ground. And when the script flips, it does so without warning. In the Nigeria Premier Football League, life has just come back around for Enyimba.

On February 22 at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Finidi George was visibly irritated after his Rivers United side drew 1-1 with the Big Elephants, Footballrover reports.

Enyimba Boss Deutsch Slams Kun Khalifat — But Football Never Forgets

His grievance? Time-wasting.

“Player will fall; in two minutes he will stand up. The next one will do that, 30 seconds, one minute; at the end of the day they (referees) gave us two minutes (extra time) in the first half.

In the second half, the same thing happened. These are the things you see in the league.

We have to be better, not only we talk about teams. Everybody has to be better for the league to grow.”

It was a pointed observation about standards, about growth, about responsibility.

At the time, the People’s Elephant was the beneficiary of the chaos. They left with a point. The Pride of Rivers was left with just frustration.

Fast forward to March 1, 2026. The venue changed. The roles reversed.

“It’s Very Painful” — Enyimba Boss Deutsch Faces Football’s Cruel Irony

At home in Aba, Enyimba were held 1-1 by Kun Khalifat at the Elephant Park.

After dominating chances and missing several in the first half, they fell behind to a moment of brilliance from James Ekebuike before Ekene Awazie salvaged a late equaliser.

But the louder story was not the goals. It was the clock.

“It’s very painful – we missed so many opportunities to score goals. We missed so many goals in the first half,” Emmanuel Deutsch cried out.

“When we missed so many goals, they had one opportunity; they converted it. Coming back became very difficult for us, because they were wasting time.

“We played more than 60 minutes in the second half because their goalkeeper (Nsikak Akpan) spent more than 22 minutes on the floor, wasting time. He was not cautioned. But I will not judge anybody.”

The words sounded familiar. The frustration felt recycled.

The difference? This time, Enyimba were the ones chasing shadows, and Deutsch tried to strike optimism amid the disappointment.

“I know I’ve lost two points from the match, but I can still collect it from away,”

“I’m optimistic that I will pick some points away, maybe win away. Why not? If we did it against Rivers United, we can do it elsewhere.

“The good thing is that we played good positional football. The opponents didn’t allow the game to flow with their rough tackles and time-wasting antics.

“If you observed well, we had only one yellow card in the entire match, but they had nearly 10. That’s not football. We played to win, not to waste time.”

And there it is — the line that hangs heavy.

Football has no permanent victims or villains. Today you manage the tempo. Tomorrow you beg for it.

Today you slow the game down to protect a result. Tomorrow you demand urgency from officials.

Enyimba are now winless in four, hovering just above the drop zone in 15th place with 33 points, only one above 17th-placed Wikki Tourist.

Momentum has evaporated. Margins are tightening. The league table does not entertain irony.

What this episode highlights is simple: celebrate carefully.

When fortune bends your way — whether through tactics, officiating decisions, or the grey areas of gamesmanship — restraint matters.

You know why? Because the league always circles back. The same detail you overlook when it benefits you becomes an injustice when it hurts you.

In the NPFL, as in life, what goes around rarely needs directions to find its way back.

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Last Updated on March 3, 2026 1:25 pm by footballrover