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Former Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi Dies

By Bridget
08 June 2016   |   9:18 am
One of African football's best-known figures, Stephen Keshi, is dead at age of 54, the Nigeria Football Federation revealed. The Chairman of the Edo State Football Association (EFA), Frank Ilaboya, confirmed this on Wednesday that the remains of former Super Eagle’s coach, who died at about early hours of Wednesday, had been moved to a mortuary in Benin. The…

One of African football’s best-known figures, Stephen Keshi, is dead at age of 54, the Nigeria Football Federation revealed.

The Chairman of the Edo State Football Association (EFA), Frank Ilaboya, confirmed this on Wednesday that the remains of former Super Eagle’s coach, who died at about early hours of Wednesday, had been moved to a mortuary in Benin. The privately-owned mortuary, Faith Mediplex, is located on the Benin Airport road in the Edo State capital.

Mr. Ilaboya quoted Mr. Keshi’s faimily member, Ricky Aburimen, as saying the Eagle’s former coach only complained of a leg ailment while holidaying at his Airport road home in Benin before he passed away.

However, a statement from the late Stephen Keshi’s brother and spokes person, Emmanuel Ado, reads: “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’.

Though deeply mourning the shock exit of  Mr. Keshi, Ado said the family remained grateful to God for the life spent by the Big Boss.

He continued “Our son, brother, father, father-in-law, brother-in-law, has gone to be with his wife of 35 years (Nkem ), Mrs. Kate Keshi, who passed on on the 9th December 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.”

Mr. Keshi had lost his wife of 35 years, Kate, to cancer last December.

Mr Keshi, popularly called the Big Boss, is the only Nigerian coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations.

He also became the second person in history to win the competition as a player and as a coach after Mahmoud El-Gohary of Egypt when he led the Super Eagles to win the tournament in 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Stephen Keshi

He rose to national prominence when debuted for the Super Eagles in 1981 at age 20. The late Central Defender withdrew from the national team in 1994. He had 64 caps and scored nine goals.

As coach, he qualified an unlikely Togolese national team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany but was sacked and replaced with German Otto Pfister, just before the tournament.

He however, achieved his dream to manage a team at the World Cup when he coached the Super Eagles side to the tournament in 2014.

Stephen Keshi

He is the fifth member of the glorious 1994 Super Eagles team to die, after Uche Okafor, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini and Wilfred Agbonavbare.

He is survived by four children and his mother.

May your gentle soul rest in the bosom of the Lord Keshi!!! We would miss you!

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