President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Alhaji Issa Hayatou, was one of the first senior citizens in world football to commiserate with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria football family over the death of Nigerian legend, Stephen Keshi, on Wednesday.
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations –winning Coach died in the early hours of Wednesday after complaining of irregular heartbeats and pain in his legs. He passed on before reaching the hospital.
In his letter addressed to NFF President Amaju Pinnick, Hayatou wrote: “We have learned with great dismay and immense sadness the passing away of African and Nigerian football legend Stephen Okechukwu Keshi today.
“Even if Stephen Keshi left us too early, he achieved an incredible career, both as a player and as a coach, being one of only two people in African football history, along with Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary, to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player, in Tunisia in 1994, and as a coach, in South Africa in 2013.
“After having played mostly with French and Belgian clubs, Stephen Keshi became a tremendous professional coach, coaching the Togo national football team between 2004 and 2006, and incredibly achieving the dream of any nation by making the West African nation to qualify to its first ever World Cup in 2006 in Germany.”
In his own tribute, also addressed to Pinnick, president of the Tanzania Football Federation, Jamal Malinzi wrote: “I am truly sorry to hear of the loss of Nigeria and Africa’s football legend Stephen Keshi. In this sorrowful time, I would like on behalf of the football community in Tanzania to extend to you our heartfelt condolences…
“Though he is gone, his service to football has not lasted with his passing as he will always have an everlasting legacy in the game of football.”
Football Association of Zambia president Andrew Kamanga wrote: “It is with deep sense of sorrow to learn of the passing on of your former coach of Nigeria, Mr. Steven Keshi. On behalf of the Executive Committee of the FAZ, the Secretariat staff, the Zambian football fraternity and indeed on my own behalf, we wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Nigeria football family and indeed Mr. Keshi’s family on the passing on of our beloved colleague.”
Pinnick, NFF 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi were the first persons to sign the condolence register opened for the departed legend at the Glass House in Abuja.
The Group Sports Editor of THISDAY newspapers, Mr. Duro Ikhazuagbe was among those who called at the NFF secretariat to sign the condolence register.
Also at the Glass House was a delegation of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, led by the President –General, Dr. Rafiu Oladipo.
A minute silence will be observed before the kick-off of Match Day 21 fixtures of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) during which all players are to wear black armbands in honour of Keshi.
The directive was issued by the League Management Company (LMC) which described the death as a huge loss to African football.
A statement by the LMC described Keshi as “a pathfinder, courageous athlete who remains one of the inspirational stories for young Nigerian and indeed African players’.
The LMC described the late Keshi as one of the players that put the shine on the football league in Nigeria while it was still in amateur stages.
“The exploits of Keshi and his team mates at New Nigerian Bank in the 1980’s registered Nigeria as a club football power house after the achievements of IICC Shooting Stars and Rangers International in the 1970’s”.
“As a player and later, captain of the national team for over a decade, Keshi demonstrated dedication and love for father land. He was a team builder and leader whose influence on younger players was the driving spirit behind the achievements at the Nations Cup in Tunisia and a world cup outing that made the world take notice of the Super Eagles”.
“As the Coach of the Super Eagles, Keshi invested gave a boost to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) by tremendous confidence in players from the league whom he took to the Nations Cup in South Africa in 2013 which Nigeria won. His decision showcased the abundant talents that are found in the NPFL and it was one of the biggest endorsements for our players”.
The LMC said that there is no honour that is too much to be done to Keshi considering also his achievements as the coach of the Super Eagles during which he led Nigeria to a third Nations Cup victory.
“We want to honour Keshi today as a deserving hero of the league and Nigerian football during our Match Day 21 fixtures with a minute silence before kick-off and the wearing of black armbands by all players.”
Former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, expressed deep sadness and shock over the death.
Abdullahi recalled that as Minister in 2013, he worked closely with the board of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) led by Aminu Maigari and Keshi to achieve the historic victory in South Africa.
“That we were victorious and won the Nation’s Cup after 19 years was largely due to the leadership provided to the team by Keshi. He was passionate and committed to the Super Eagles team as he was to Nigerian football.
“Keshi’s love for Nigeria was never in doubt, whether as a coach, captain of the Super Eagles or footballer.
“I recall that it was Keshi’s movement to Europe to play for Lokeren in Belgium that opened the floodgates of Nigerians going abroad to play professional football.
“A renowned mentor of younger players, Keshi wrote his name in the sands of time and his memory will never fade as one of Nigerian sporting greats.
“May his soul rest in peace.”
Also, former NFF President, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi, has described the death as a very rude shock and great loss to, not only Nigerians, but to all Africans and black race in general.
Lulu said Keshi was one of the best things that happened to Nigerian football.
“It may interest us to know that the revolution that Nigeria football witnessed in the earlier 1980s started with Stephen Keshi, when he moved to Ivory Coast and then to Belguim, 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 revolutionise 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 Stephen Keshi, and pray that God grant his soul an eternal rest” the former NFF boss concluded.
Flying Eagles chief coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, said he was still in shock over the death.
Both were members of the Golden 94 Nigeria squad that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and also featured at the World Cup in the United States (U.S.) same year.
“Words can’t describe the moment. It’s a huge loss, we have lost a great leader, brother, a father and a great personality that represented Nigeria well and someone who has put smiles on the faces of millions of Nigerians around the world,” Amuneke said.
“We’ve lost someone that inspired us, someone we have watched grow up as a player, we have lost someone we were privileged to have shared the dressing room with and great impact in Nigerian football. At the Lord give us all the strength to with stand this huge loss.
“He achieved the 1994 triumph in Tunisia being honest, dedicated and knowing so well that every journey has its challenges.
“As a player, Stephen Keshi made Nigerians proud and he came back years later to coach. He was a leader with passion and discipline.
“It’s painful that we are losing great men who can do more for the next generation but we all know that we were born and are meant to die one day but what defines us is what we’ve done on earth.
“Unfortunately we came from a peculiar country where people rarely recognise you when you are alive. No one cares to know what’s happening to players after they retire.
“A gift is being given to every human by God and you can impact positively with that same gift. It’s a sad moment.”
