Rangers International Football Club General Manager Barr Amobi Ezeaku has urged young Africans to look beyond playing football and recognise the game as a gateway to wider professional opportunities across a global industry.
Speaking at a TedX event in Enugu, Ezeaku described football as a “passport” that transformed his life, taking him from local pitches in Enugu and Nsukka to classrooms and boardrooms linked to world football’s governing institutions.
“This is not just a ball,” he told the audience. “To many, it is leather and stitches, but to me and to many young people around the world, this is a passport.”
Ezeaku making a presentation during his FIFA master training. Photo Credit: Ezeaku/Instagram
Ezeaku said football introduced him to resilience, teamwork and discipline at an early age, lessons he believes remain central to personal and professional development.
“When you lose, football teaches you resilience because you must show up the next day, it teaches teamwork when you have to pass the ball, and discipline when you sit out for being late to training” he said.
Photo Credit: Rangers Media/X
While football is often associated with famous players such as Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Ezeaku said the focus must expand beyond the stars on the pitch.
“Football is a big ecosystem, when a player signs a contract, they need a lawyer, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a physiotherapist, a nurse, a coach and a manager. The question is: why are there so few young Africans in these spaces?”
Drawing from his own journey, Ezeaku explained how studying law, playing football and later becoming a FIFA pro bono counsel opened doors to opportunities he once thought unimaginable.
“This game took me from playing on dusty pitches at the University of Nigeria to representing top federations at the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” he said.
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He also highlighted the importance of persistence, recounting how he initially failed to gain admission into the FIFA Master programme before eventually securing a scholarship and later delivering the valedictory speech for the Class of 2023.
“I tried and failed at first, but I persisted, that persistence changed everything.”
Ezeaku won Rangers International eight NPFL title during the first few months at the helms of affair at the club. Photo Credit: Rangers Media
Ezeaku encouraged students and young professionals who may be uncertain about their future to explore careers within football even if they never play professionally.
“You can be a lawyer for the Nigerian Football Federation, a nutritionist for Rangers, a psychologist for Barcelona,” he said. “Anything your mind can conceive, you can become.”
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Ezeaku returned to the symbolism of the football itself, acknowledging the challenges that come with the game and with life.
“There will be setbacks and difficulties,” he said. “But this ball teaches passion, persistence and insistence. Through the power that lies in this beautiful game, you will become.”
