Former head coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, has fixed January 15 for the burial of his wife, Kate.
Though Kate Keshi passed on at the family’s base in the United States (U.S.), Keshi said that the burial would take place in Benin, Edo State.
Keshi disclosed further that the January 15 date was arrived at following weeks of planning and settlement of procedures, tops of which were the logistics involved in getting a flight to airlift the coffin.
Kate Keshi (née Abureme), died on December 10, after battling cancer for three years.
She is survived by her husband of 33 years, four children, her mother, brother and sisters.
Keshi, while reflecting on his life with his late wife stated: “I got married at the age of 21 in 1983 when my wife was 20 years old. Then I was just being made the captain of the team, I believe that limited my dating different girls. Because of the decision I took of marrying early, I lost some of my friends. They were not happy with my decision but it didn’t bother me because it was what I wanted.
“My decision to marry at a very tender age was influenced by a coach in the then New Nigerian Bank Football Club, who told me that I could be a better player, if I could get a wife or else I would get carried away by the way girls flocked around me.
“He said I would not last long in my football career if I continued with girls around me all the time. I thought it wise and I took to his words.
“It was love at first sight. My wife and I didn’t date for long before we got married. When I saw her, I knew she was my wife. I told her that she was my girl and I wanted to marry her, she was so surprised but later accepted, then we fell seriously in love.”