Robert Eziakor Chinedu ⓘ (born 19 October 1986) is a Nigerian football manager and former player who is recently the interim head coach of Singapore Premier League club Tampines Rovers. Eziakor spent most of his career playing for a host of Singaporean league sides.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Eziakor Chinedu | ||
| Date of birth | 19 October 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Vacant | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006 | Sporting Afrique[1] | ||
| 2007–2008 | Katong[1] | ||
| 2009 | Singapore Recreation Club[1] | ||
| 2010–2012 | Tiong Bahru[1] | ||
| 2013 | Hougang United | 8 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2015–2024 | Tiong Bahru[2] | ||
| 2021–2022 | Hougang United U17 | ||
| 2023–2024 | Hougang United U21 | ||
| 2023–2024 | Hougang United (assistant) | ||
| 2024–2025 | Hougang United | ||
| 2026 | Tampines Rovers (assistant) | ||
| 2026 | Tampines Rovers (interim) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
editSporting Afrique
editIn 2006, Eziakor moved to Singapore to joined Sporting Afrique for the 2006 S.League. The team was made of players from an African descent squad consisted of young players from Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya and Ghana.[3]
Katong
editIn 2007, Eziakor joined National Football League (NFL) side, Katong.
Singapore Recreation Club
editIn 2009, Eziakor joined another NFL team, Singapore Recreation Club.
Tiong Bahru
editIn 2010, Eziakor joined another NFL team, Tiong Bahru.
Hougang United
editAfter playing semi-professional football for 6 years, In 2013, Eziakor signed for S.League club, Hougang United[4] and was handed the jersey number 20.[1] Registering the most goals for his team in pre-season, he formed a good strike partnership with Guinean Mamadou Diallo, aiming to be on the top scorers charts by the end of the season.[1] During an interview, Eziakor maintained that it was difficult for him to get back into shape for professional football since he was less fit from plying his trade with semi-pro clubs.[1] The forward has stated that he has enjoyed the vehemence and support of the club supporters also known as the Hougang HOOLS, his team's fan club during his time there.[1] On 25 June 2013, Eziakor announced his retirement from football and joined the backroom staff of the club.
Managerial career
editTiong Bahru
editIn 2016, Eziakor joined his former club, Tiong Bahru as their head coach for the year.
On 13 October 2018, Eziakor was named the Coach of the Year during the FAST NITE 2018.[5] Tiong Bahru proceed to finish the season unbeaten, claiming the 2018 Division One title.[6] In 2019, Eziakor retained both the Division One title with the club[7] and Coach of the Year award for the second year running.[8]
Hougang United
editIn 2017, Eziakor returned to Hougang United to become the club General Coordinator and Safety Officer.[9] In 2021, he become the club Team Manager before becoming the club assistant coach & Hougang United U21 coach. In 2023, Eziakor was promoted as the assistant coach of the senior team where he work under head coach Marko Kraljević. On 24 December 2024, Eziakor was rewarded as the interim head coach of Hougang United for the remainder of the 2024–25 season after Kraljević was promoted to technical staff of the club.[2] He become the first ever African to become a head coach in the Singapore Premier League history.
Tampines Rovers
editIn January 2026, Eziakor joined Tampines Rovers as an assistant coach where he work under head coach Noh Rahman at the club. He is also the head coach for the U-19 team.[10][11] However, Tampines Rovers parted ways with Noh Rahman where Eziakor was then named as interim coach on 14 February 2026 until the end of the 2025–26 season.
Personal life
editEziakor is a permanent resident of Singapore and has a son who plays for the Singapore Under-15s.[2][12]
Managerial statistics
edit- As of 3 April 2026
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Hougang United |  |
24 December 2024 | 26 October 2025 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 30.00 | |
| Tampines Rovers (interim) | |
14 February 2026 | 3 April 2026 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 62.50 | |
| Career Total | 28 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 39.29 | ||||
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Interview with Robert Eziakor – Hougang United Football Club".
- 1 2 3 Lee, David (1 Jan 2025). "Robert Eziakor steps up as Hougang United interim coach in 13th year with Cheetahs". The Straits Times.
- ↑ "ESPZEN - Revolutionizing Amateur Football in Singapore". 2017-12-01. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
- ↑ "Cheetahs sealed final foreign spot with Robert Eziakor. – Hougang United Football Club".
- ↑ "FAS NITE 2018 recognises season's best". FAS. 13 Oct 2018.
- ↑ "Tiong Bahru FC Claims NFL Division One Trophy with 16 Wins and Two Draws". FAS. 28 Oct 2018.
- ↑ "Tiong Bahru win NFL Div 1 crown, Commonwealth Cosmos clinch IWL title". FAS. 17 Aug 2019.
- ↑ "Faris Ramli named SPL Player of the Year as FAS Nite 2019 recognises season's best". FAS. 31 Oct 2019.
- ↑ http://www.fas.org.sg/sites/default/files/National%20Football%20League%202016%20Match%20Report%20-%20Stage%203%20%26%205%20%28M.15%20%26%20M.24%29.pdf [dead link]
- ↑ Deepanraj Ganesan (19 Feb 2026). "Temp coaches look to outwit each other in S'pore Premier League's top-of-the-table 'interim derby'". The Straits Times.
- ↑ "We extend our best wishes to Head Coach Noh Rahman..." tampinesrovers/IG. 29 Jan 2026.
- ↑ Teoh, Melvyn (31 Aug 2023). "Revenge on Singapore youth footballer Uchenna Eziakor's mind at Lion City Cup". The Straits Times.