Super Eagels formaer coach dies at 54
The former Super Eagles head coach had lost Kate, his wife of 35 years, to cancer last December.
In a statement, family spokesman Emmanuel Ado confirmed Keshi died of cardiac arrest in the early hours of Wednesday.
"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,” Mr. Ado wrote.
“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," concluded the statement.
The Big Boss, as he was fondly
called, made his first appearance for the Super Eagles in 1981 at age 20
and the central defender retired in 1994 after picking up 64 caps and
nine goals as he captained Nigeria to win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations
as well as their first appearance at the World Cup in the USA.
As coach, he helped tiny Togo
reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany before he was sacked and replaced
with German Otto Pfister, few months to the tournament. He also handled
Mali which he took to the 2010 Afcon in Angola.
He led the Super Eagles side to
success at Afcon 2013 where they won after 19 years. He managed the side
to the Fifa Confederation Cup 2013 and 2014 Fifa World Cup and became
the African coach to reach the knock out stage where they fell to France
in the Round of 16.
However, his side failed to
qualify for the 2015 Afcon which led to his third and final
disengagement by the Nigeria Football Federation after a long and
fractious relationship.
Keshi was the only Nigerian
coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations and second African to win
the trophy both as a player and a coach.
He started out with St.
Finbarr’s College, Lagos and featured for domestic club sides ACB
Football Club and New Nigeria Bank before leading a generation of
Nigerian footballers abroad when he went to Cote d’Ivoire’s Stade
d’Abidjan and Africa Sports. He then made his way on to Belgium where he
played for Lokeren, Anderlecht, RC Strasbourg, among many others.
His sad passing brings to five
the number of former players in the ‘Golden Generation’ of Nigerian
football to die. Among the triumphant Super Eagles squad of 1994, Uche
Okafor, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini and Wilfred Agbonavbare have all
died.
Keshi is survived by four children and his aged mother.
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