Rangers Reward Fidelis Ilechukwu With New Contract After NPFL Title Triumph

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) champions Rangers International have handed head coach Fidelis Ilechukwu a one-year contract extension, keeping the title-winning manager at the Enugu club until 2027.

The new agreement comes after another successful campaign in which Ilechukwu guided the Flying Antelopes to their ninth NPFL crown.

Naija News reports that Rangers sealed the 2025/26 title on the final day of the season with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ikorodu City at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos.

The extension further strengthens Ilechukwu’s reputation as one of the leading coaches in Nigerian domestic football. Since arriving at Rangers in 2023 following spells with MFM FC, Plateau United and Heartland, the 47-year-old has delivered two league titles, having also led the club to the championship in the 2023/24 season.

Popularly known as “The Working One,” Ilechukwu has overseen Rangers’ resurgence, turning the Coal City side into one of the country’s most consistent teams after years away from the summit of Nigerian football.

With his future now secured, attention shifts to the CAF Champions League, where Rangers will represent Nigeria next season. The Flying Antelopes were knocked out in the second preliminary round of the 2024/25 edition by Angola’s Sagrada Esperança, losing 3-1 on aggregate, and will be aiming for a stronger continental campaign.

Ilechukwu also serves as an assistant coach with the Super Eagles technical crew.