Sports
Olubayo’s Death Stuns Nigerians
Nigerians have been left stunned by the death of Super Eagles defender Adefemi Olubayo.
The 25 year-old was killed in a car crash in Greece on Monday while driving to the airport. He was on his way to Nigeria to finalise arrangements for his wedding.
Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia, who has coached the defender since his Under 20 days, was shocked into silence.
“No, it is not true,” was Siasia’s first reaction to the news after nearly a minute of silence.
Captain Joseph Yobo was equally speechless.
“I don’t know what to say except to wish his family my deepest condolences,” Yobo said. “I can’t say anything now, give me a couple of hours and maybe I will have the words to express how sad this is.”
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, in South Africa for the 17th African Youth Championship in which Nigeria defeated world champions Ghana 2-1 on Monday, was weighed down by sorrow.
“This is devastating. I was just leaving the stadium after our U-20 team’s victory over Ghana when the Acting General Secretary (Barrister Musa Amadu) called me on phone. Why? Such a young and dedicated player? Why now? Oh, I can’t say more”, said Maigari.
The Secretariat of Nigeria Football Federation was also thrown into mourning as Management and Staff tried to come to terms with the demise of the promising, effervescent and energetic player.
“We are in grief, total grief. This has come on a day that we should be celebrating the Flying Eagles’ defeat of the world champions at the African Youth Championship. But at this stage, we can only pray for a repose of his soul and that God should grant the family he has left behind and Nigeria football family the fortitude to bear the huge loss,” said NFF’s Acting General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu.
Amadu added that the NFF would stay in contact with the club and the family of late Adefemi on his body’s journey back to Nigeria and the Federation’s involvement in the burial rites.
Olubayo Adefemi was born on 13th August, 1985 and was invited by Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Samson Siasia for the team’s last 2012 Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia and the international friendly against Kenya, both at the National Stadium, Abuja.
His manager, Miguel Riera, who spoke to the NFF hierarchy on phone from Xanthi on Monday morning, said the accident occurred at about 7am Nigeria time as Olubayo attempted to make good use of the one-week break granted by his Greek top club, Xanthi Skoda to travel to Nigeria to finalise his marriage plans.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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