The Canal League included the teams of the three cities of the Suez Canal (Port Said, Ismailia, Suez), the most popular teams participated in it are Al-Masry and Ismaily beside other Egyptian and foreign teams situated in the region.
The club went on to win their second successive Nigerian title in 2002, and then became the first Nigerian club to win the continent's premier international club competition in the 2003 CAF Champions League by beating Ismaily of Egypt 2–1 on aggregate, under coach Kadiri Ikhana.
He claims his lifelong dream was to play for Zamalek, which became evident when he turned down offers from Al Ahly, Ismaily and a number of European clubs to join Zamalek following his fine performances at ENPPI.