Lobi Stars Football Club (formerly known as Mosquito Football Club, Lobi Bank, BBL Hawks, and Hawks) is a Nigeria professional football club based in Makurdi, Benue. The club competes in the Nigerian National League. The Stars' home is the 15,000-seater Aper Aku Stadium.
History Lobi Stars FC 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 the 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 knockout 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 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, but that never materialised. Lobi finished 3rd in the Glo Premier League in 2012. They also reached the Federation Cup final that season but lost to Heartland F.C. of Owerri.
Honours Nigeria Professional Football League Champions: 1999 Nigeria FA Cup Winners: 2003 Nigeria Super Cup Winners: 1999, 2018
Performance in CAF competitions CAF Champions League 2000 – Group stage 2018–19 – Group stage
CAF Confederation Cup 2004 – Second round 2006 – Second round 2012 – First round
WAFU Club Championship 2010 – First round
Current squad As of 8 February 2024
Coaching staff
As of 8 November 2024 NameRole Mika LönnströmHead coach Tar AkomboAssistant coach Save OkohGoalkeeping coach Benjamin Bemgba JikiCoach Daniel AmokachiTechnical advisor
Former managers Shaibu Amodu Kosta Papić Godwin Uwua Salisu Yusuf Ufere Nwankwo Mitko Dobrev (2009–??) John Zaki Garba Lawal Solomon Ogbeide Gbenga Ogunbote Kabiru Dogo Eddy Dombraye Eugene Agagbe
Notable players Kelechi Okoye
References
External links http://iorfaonline.blogspot.com/p/about-lobi-stars.html Lobi Stars FC Results - current results of Lobi Stars FC matches Lobi signs 16 players at www.ngrguardiannews.com, accessed 20 November 2012 Iorfa vows to lift Lobi, as Board drops Kpakpor. Vanguard accessed 9 Nov. 2008 Lobi okays Dobrev, places 10 on transfer Lobi Stars to be privatised next month (goal.com) Nwankwo joins Lobi Stars The bizarre refereeing that nearly claimed lives at Aper Aku Stadium (Sunday Trust) LMC declares 2017/18 NPFL season concluded at Match Day 24