Lobi Stars FC
Lobi Stars FC
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Wikipedia - Lobi Stars F.C.
Lobi Stars Football Club (formerly known as Mosquito football club, Lobi Bank, BBL Hawks, and Hawks) is a Nigerian professional soccer club based in Makurdi, Benue. The club competes in the Nigerian Professional Football League. The Stars' home is the 8,000 seater Aper Aku Stadium.
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. 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.
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, 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.
Lobi Stars har vundet den nigerianske Premier League to gange, i 1999 og 2018. Klubben har også nået finalen i den nigerianske FA Cup tre gange, i 1997, 2004 og 2016.
I afrikanske konkurrencer har Lobi Stars deltaget i CAF Champions League fire gange og nåede kvartfinalen i 2000. Klubben har også deltaget i CAF Confederation Cup tre gange og nåede gruppespillet i 2018/19.
Lobi Stars er kendt for sin angribende spillestil og har produceret en række talentfulde spillere, herunder Kingsley Udoh, Terna Suswam og Anthony Ujah.
Klubbens farver er røde og hvide, og den har tilnavnet "The Pride of Benue".