The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) 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.”
Pinnick has directed that all centres hosting matches of the Nigeria Professional Football League on Wednesday should observe one –minute silence before kick –off. The NFF has already informed the Confederation of African Football and the world body, FIFA about the passing of the legend.
[wcp_contactform id=”wcpform_avkcg2mmo”]Former NFF President Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi described the death as a very rude shock and great loss to not only Nigeria, but to all Africans and black race in general.
Lulu said Keshi was one of the best things that happened to Nigeria football “it may interest us to know that the revolution that Nigeria football witnessed in the earlier 1980’s started with Stephen Keshi, when he moved to Cote d’Ivoire (then Ivory Coast) and then to Belgium, which later led to other Nigerian players taking their trade to the European country, which no doubt helped the faster development of our football, that made our team very strong at that period. When he retired and took to Coaching, he did not revolutionalized the game only in Nigeria by winning the African Nations Cup as player in 1994, and also won as a Coach in 2013, he took Togo to qualify for their first and only World cup in 2006.
He also made an impact in Mali as a Coach. We also saw how he was able to manage the Super Eagles team to play up to the second round at the 2014 World Cup.
“He is a legend of African football, and his death at this time is not what we expected, but who are we to query God.
“He is the omnipotent, and omnipresent. He gives and he takes when he deems fit. We should all take solace with the maximum impact that Stephen Keshi made while he lived. I mourn Keshi, and pray that God grant his soul an eternal rest”.
