Vanguard, THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 — 47
THE WORLD MOURNS KESHI
NFF mourns legend, Stephen Keshi T
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HE Nigeria Football Federation has expressed deep shock at the death, in the early hours of Wednesday, of former Super Eagles Captain and Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi. Family sources said the 54 –year old, who buried his wife Kate only five months ago, had complained of irregular heartbeats and pain in his legs and was being rushed to a nearby hospital in Benin City, capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria, when he gave up the ghost. NFF President Amaju Pinnick was too shocked for words: “This is devastating. We have lost a superhero.” Pinnick confirmed he had been in contact with the family and would lead a delegation of some NFF Board and Congress members to Benin City on Thursday. “The NFF Board will meet and decide on the best way to honour Stephen Keshi. We will be fully involved in the arrangements for the final burial rites.” Keshi won the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and as a Coach. The only person to achieve similar feat was Egyptian Mahmoud el-Gohary, who is also of blessed memory. The man who made Keshi captain of Nigeria in 1983, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, said on Wednesday morning: “This is too much of a shock. May his soul rest in peace.” Only eight days ago, the legend had put a call through to the Super Eagles’ camp in Luxembourg, during which he spoke to interim Head Coach Salisu Yusuf and wished him well in the job. The Eagles went on to beat the Red Lions 31. Yusuf was one of Keshi’s assistants when he coached Nigeria between November 2011 and June 2015. His death came only five days short of a year to his last match with the Eagles – a 2-0 defeat of Chad in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match in Kaduna. Nicknamed ‘Big Boss’, the flambouyant Keshi captained Nigeria between 1983 and 1994, during which he won the Africa Cup of Nations gold, silver and bronze, and led the country to qualify for its first FIFA World Cup finals. He captained the Eagles at that first FIFA World Cup in USA in 1994, months after also leading the team to win the Africa Cup of Nations for Nigeria for the first time on away soil (Tunisia). Alhaji Sani Ahmed Toro, who was chief executive of Nigeria’s football –governing body (as Secretary General) in those glorious days, reacted: “This is a big loss to Nigeria football. Please accept my condolences.”
HE Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung has expressed shock and sadness over the sudden passage of former Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi. Dalung said the news of Keshi’s death came to him as a big surprise as the former coach was neither sick nor had any health issues before his demise. “I will formally inform the government of the death of this great Nigerian, and I want to assure Nigerians that government will seek ways to immortalize him. I join millions of soccer followers across the world to mourn this illustrious son of Nigeria, Africa and the world’’, Dalung said.
*Keshi
Sharapova banned 2 yrs M
ARIA Sharapova has been handed a two-year ban from tennis after she tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open in January. The ban has been backdated to January 26 - the day the Russian failed her drugs test in
Melbourne - meaning it will end on January 25, 2018. The ban was at the heavier end of expectations and it means she cannot play a Grand Slam until the French Open in 2018. One particularly damning section of the ITF’s ruling, released on
Keshi’s final wish Continues from BP town. That aside, the Africa Cup of Nations winner as player and coach also want the remains of his wife, who was buried in Benin taken to Ilah and be reburied by his grave. Ado who spoke on Channels TV programme Wednesday morning, lamented the sudden death of the former national team coach, saying, “he never recovered from the death
Big boss Continues from BP associates. “He was not ill at all, never showed any signs of illness, but we suspect he never got over the death of his wife,” a friend said. He is survived by four children and his mother. Keshi, the only Nigerian coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations, achieved a rare feat in 2013 by becoming only the second person to win the trophy both as a player and a coach. The only other person to have achieved the feat is Egypt’s Mahmoud ElGohary. Keshi, a product of St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, Lagos, started his playing ca-
of his wife but he never prepared us for this. He’s gone to be with his wife he called Nkem.” Continuing, Ado said, “Keshi lived a good life. All the children are in the US and our brothers out there have travelled to go and be with them.” He disclosed Keshi’s last wish: “He asked to be buried in Ilah and the body of his wife which was buried in Benin be taken Ilah and buried beside him. That was his decision.” reer at a very young age at ACB Football Club, and later played for New Nigeria Bank, Stade d’Abidjan, Africa Sports, Lokeren, Anderlecht, RC Strasbourg, and a host of other clubs. He represented Nigeria from 1982, at age 20, till 1994, most of the time captaining the Super Eagles and scoring vital goals from his position as a central defender. He also coached Togo and Nigeria at the World Cup, as well as Mali. Keshi, nicknamed the “Big Boss” for his leadership skills, is the fifth member of the all-conquering 1994 team to die, following Uche Okafor, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini and Wilfred Agbonavbare.
Wednesday afternoon, read: ‘In the tribunal’s view the answer is clear. Whatever the position may have been in 2006, there was in 2016 no diagnosis and no therapeutic advice supporting the continuing use of Mildronate (Meldonium). ‘If she had believed that there was a continuing medical need to use Mildronate then she would have consulted a medical practitioner. The manner of its use, on match days and when undertaking intensive training, is only consistent with an intention to boost her energy levels.
Family Continues from BP legend has gone to be with his wife, Kate who died six months ago. Spokesman of the family, Emmanuel Ado in a statement released yesterday said that the late former Super Eagles coach has been in mourning since his wife of 35 years passed on, adding that the family is
Buhari Continues from BP on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigerian football would not remain the same again without the deceased. Buhari who stated this in a post on his official Twitter handle, @NGRPresident on Wednesday said that the country has lost a great sportsman.
Govt ‘ll immortalise Keshi —Dalung
President General Nigeria Supporters Club, singing the condolence register at the NFA Glass house in Abuja yesterday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
Akraka, former AFN president dies
F
ORMER Athletics Federation of Nigeria president Smart Akraka has passed on after a long battle with illness. Akraka, born April 13, 1934 in Lagos was president of the AFN between 1993 and 1996. He died in his home State Bayelsa in the early hours of Wednesday. He is noted for his uncompromising stance on athletics rules and regula-
tion. Akraka, was among the first set of Nigerian athletes who participated in the 1958 British and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Scotland. He was a sprinter with a personal best of 10.4secs he did in 1960. He is survived by children including Maria Akraka who was a former Swedish 800m champion.
consoled by the fact the the father of four has finally found rest. The statement read: “ “With thanksgiving to God, the Ogbuenyi Fredrick Keshi family of Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, announces the death of Mr. Stephen Okechukwu Chinedu Keshi. “Our son, brother, father, father-in-law,
brother-in-law, has gone to be with his wife of 35 years, Mrs. Kate Keshi, who passed on on December 9, 2015. “Since her death, Keshi has been in mourning. He came back to Nigeria to be with her. He had planned to fly back today Wednesday, before he suffered a cardiac arrest. He has found rest.” Keshi who passed on early Wednesday in Benin City of a suspected heart attack became the second African after Mamoud El-Gohary of Egypt to win the Africa Nations Cup both as a player and coach. He made 64 appearances for the Super Eagles as a defender, scoring nine goals and led the team to her first World Cup in the USA in 1994, a couple of months after leading the team to win the Nations Cup in Tunisia same year.
The President said, “Nigeria today lost a great sportsman, football player, coach and citizen. “President Buhari commiserates with the family of the late Stephen Keshi, and with the entire country, on his untimely passing. “Nigerian football will not be the same without Stephen Keshi. He gave this country his all. May his soul rest in peace.”