Former captain and coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi,54, died at the wee hours of today in Benin. This was confirmed in a statement by the family signed by Emmanuel Ado, titled: Stephen Keshi CON has gone to be with his wife,
“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.
“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.
“We thank God for his life.
Keshi had lost his wife, Kate last year after a protracted battle with cancer. He also coached the national teams of Togo and Mali, qualifying the former for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In his last job with Nigeria, he won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and reached the 2nd round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Alongside with Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary, Keshi won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach.
Keshi was the one who pioneered going abroad to play professional football, when he angered the defunct NFA, by leaving the then New Nigeria bank in 1884 to join the Ivorian club, Stade d’ Abidjan. He later played for African Sports a year later, from where he went to Belgian club, Lokeren the same year. The peak of his career was his days at Anderlecht, where he played 99 times for the Belgian giant. He won the Jupiler league in 1991 with the club.
Keshi played for the Super Eagles from 1981-1995 and was capped 64 times. After his playing career, keshi went to the United States to be educated in coaching.
Keshi is credited as the man who helped many Nigerian players to realise their dreams of playing in Europe. He was also the one who brought the Ghanaian player, Nii Odartey Lamptey to Anderlecht in 1990. In fact, it was rumoured that he had smuggled him into Belgium as a Nigerian
He is the fifth member of the victorious 1994 Super Eagles squad to die, after Uche Okafor, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini and Wilfred Agbonavbare.
He left behind four children and his mother.
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