Lobi Stars Football Club (formerly known as ''Mosquito football club'', ''Lobi Bank'', ''BBL Hawks'', and ''Hawks'') is a Nigerian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in Makurdi, Benue. The club competes in the

Nigerian Professional Football League The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is the highest level of the Nigerian football league system, for the Nigerian club-football championships. The Nigerian league has suffered, like many others, from the financial impact and dwindl ...

. The Stars' home is the 8,000 seater

Aper Aku Stadium Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi Aper Aku Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Construction of the stadium was initiated by the Second Republic governor Aper Aku. The 100% Natural Geo Technology Pitch was constructed bMonim ...

History

Founded as Hawks of Makurdi in 1981 by the Benue State sports council, the club was renamed Benue Breweries Limited (BBL) Hawks Football club, when the state-owned Breweries acquired the club in 1985. There was another change again when state-owned Lobi Bank acquired the club in 1990 and named it Lobi Bank Football Club. In 1999, the Nigeria Football League was played in a new format which saw the top four teams squaring up in a knock out Super League at the National Stadium,

Surulere Surulere is a residential and commercial Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area located on the mainland of Lagos in Lagos State, Nigeria, with an area of . At the last census in the year 2006, there were 503,975 inhabitants, wi ...

. Lobi Stars won the maiden edition of the Nigerian Super League under coach Godwin Koko Uwua's management. Lobi Stars won its first and only FA Cup title in 2003 after beating Sharks FC of Port-Harcourt. In 2005 they reached the finals of the domestic FA Cup where they lost to

Enyimba Aba is a city in the southeast of Nigeria and the commercial center of Abia State. Upon the creation of Abia state in 1991, Aba was divided into two local government areas namely; Aba South and Aba North. Aba south is the main city centre and ...

. They finished the 2008–09 season with an official record of 13 wins 10 draws and 15 losses after winning a game on appeal against

Enugu Rangers Rangers International Football Club, commonly known as Enugu Rangers, is a Nigerian professional association football team. They are based in Enugu and play their home games at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. Enugu Rangers are one of the three olde ...

, avoiding the drop by one point. In August 2009, the Benue State government announced the club will be leased to private ownership, ending direct support from the state, that never materialised. Lobi finished 3rd in Glo premier league in 2012. They also reached the Federation Cup final that season but lost to Heartland FC of Owerri.

Honours

* Nigeria Professional Football League **Champions: 1999 *

Nigeria FA Cup The AITEO Cup (a.k.a. Challenge Cup, sometimes shortened to Fed Cup), is the main football single-elimination tournament in Nigeria contested by 74 teams, representing the 36 states + 1 FCT of Nigeria. It is the Nigerian domestic cup and the Nig ...

**Winners: 2003 *

Nigeria Super Cup Nigeria Super Cup (also known as Charity Cup or Charity Shield) is a game that features the FA Cup and Nigerian Premier League winners. It usually commence before the start of a new season. Winners *1999:Lobi Stars *2000: Julius Berger F.C. *2001: ...

**Winners: 1999, 2018

Performance in CAF competitions

CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club competition organized by the Confederation of African Football and co ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

– Group stage :: 2018–19 – Group stage *

CAF Confederation Cup The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football club competition established in 2004 from a merger of the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners' Cup and organi ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

– Second round ::

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

– Second round ::

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

– First round *

WAFU Club Championship The West African Club Championship (UFOA Cup), also known as the General Eyadéma Cup, was a West African Club tournament from 1977 to 1999. It was open to league runners-up in the West Africa (or ''Zone 3'') region of the CAF. While the first mat ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

– First round

Current squad

''As of 16 April, 2023''CAF Champions League squad
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Coaching staff

*Technical Advisor – Eddy Dombraye *Assistant coach – *Technical coach –

Former managers

Shaibu Amodu Shuaibu Amodu (18 April 1958 – 10 June 2016) was a Nigerian football player and coach who played as a forward. Playing career Amodu, a striker, played for Dumez and Niger Tornadoes. His playing career ended after he broke his leg. Coachin ...

* Kosta Papić * Godwin Uwua * Salisu Yusuf * Ufere Nwankwo *

Mitko Dobrev Mitko Dobrev (Bulgarian: Митко Добрев) is a Bulgarian football manager. Mitko Dobrev attended the National Sports Academy "Vasil Levski" where he studied Physical Therapy and Coaching in 1977-1981. Mitko Dobrev holds an UEFA A Lice ...

(2009–??) *

John Zaki John Zakari (10 July 1973 – 17 November 2014), commonly known as John Zaki, was a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career In April 2000, Zaki joined South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Death Zaki died o ...

* Garba Lawal * Solomon Ogbeide * Gbenga Ogunbote * Kabiru Dogo

Notable players

* Nwabali stanley * Akile Monday

References

External links

http://iorfaonline.blogspot.com/p/about-lobi-stars.htmlLobi signs 16 players
at www.ngrguardiannews.com, accessed 20 November 2012
Iorfa vows to lift Lobi, as Board drops Kpakpor. Vanguard accessed 9 Nov. 2008Lobi okays Dobrev, places 10 on transferLobi Stars to be privatised next month (goal.com)Nwankwo joins Lobi StarsThe bizarre refereeing that nearly claimed lives at Aper Aku Stadium (Sunday Trust)LMC declares 2017/18 NPFL season concluded at Match Day 24
{{Nigerian Premier League Football clubs in Nigeria Association football clubs established in 1981 Benue State 1981 establishments in Nigeria Sports clubs in Nigeria