Bendel Insurance Football Club, also known as Insurance of Benin Football Club or simply Bendel Insurance, is a football club based in Benin City, Nigeria. The club plays in the Nigeria Premier League. They were originally known as the Vipers of Benin. They play their home matches at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium,[6][7] which has a capacity of 12,000. They are the current champions of the Federation Cup after defeating Enugu Rangers 1–0 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba on June 21, 2023.
| Full name | Bendel Insurance Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Vipers, The Benin Arsenal | ||
| Founded | 1972; 52 years ago (1972) | ||
| Ground | Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin City, Nigeria | ||
| Capacity | 12,000[1][2] | ||
| Chairman | Philip Shaibu Deputy Governor, Edo State[3] | ||
| Manager | Monday Odigie[4] | ||
| League | Nigerian Premier Football League[5] | ||
| 2023-24 | 9th | ||
| |||
Created by Dr. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, Bendel Insurance was one of the founding members of the Nigerian Premier League in 1972.[8]
The team had its first month of the 2007–08 season delayed because of a management dispute over who controlled the team.[9][10] The crisis led to at one time two different clubs claiming the name Insurance. They were relegated at the end of the 2007–08 season after finishing in last place, the first relegation from the top level in the team's history.
In August 2008, the ownership crisis was settled and the Edo State government took control. Thus the name officially reverted to Bendel Insurance Football Club.
However, the club's financial problems continued throughout the season. In February 2009, Insurance was banned from using their stadium temporarily because it was not up to league standards. In March, they were one of eight teams threatened with having their participation suspended due to a backlog of debts and fines.[11] Finally, they were exiled to Ilorin, North Central Nigeria, for their final home game of the season after crowd trouble in a 1–1 tie against Shooting Stars FC that put an end to their promotion chances. The reason for Bendel Insurance's breakdown was because of the ownership situations.[12]
Bendel Insurance were promoted to the top flight for the 2019 season after spending over ten years in lower divisions.[8] They were relegated to the NNL after just one season. They won promotion back to the NPFL on the penultimate day of the 2022 season.[13]
