Posted on: 04:13 Wed, 08 Jun 2016



Nigerian football icon Stephen
Okechukwu Keshi died suddenly in the
early hours of Wednesday in Benin
City, Edo state, 9iceunity was
briefed.

The former international football
player and coach had lost his wife
of 33 years, Kate, last year after a
prolonged battle with cancer.

9U confirmed his death from a
member of his family as well as one
of his close associates.

“He was not ill at all, never showed
any signs of illness, but we suspect
he never got over the death of his
wife,” a friend said.

He is survived by four children and
his mother.

Keshi, the only Nigerian coach to
have won the Africa Cup of
Nations, achieved a rare feat in
2013 by becoming only the second
person to win the trophy both as a
player and a coach.

The only other person to have
achieved the feat is Egypt’s
Mahmoud El-Gohary.

Keshi, a product of St. Finbarr’s
College, Akoka, Lagos, started his
playing career at a very young age
at ACB Football Club, and later
played for New Nigeria Bank, Stade
d’Abidjan, Africa Sports, Lokeren,
Anderlecht, RC Strasbourg, and a
host of other clubs.

He represented Nigeria from 1982,
at age 20, till 1994, most of the time
captaining the Super Eagles and
scoring vital goals from his position
as a central defender.

He also coached Togo and Nigeria
at the World Cup, as well as Mali.

Keshi, nicknamed the “Big Boss” for
his leadership skills, is the fifth
member of the all-conquering 1994
team to die, following Uche Okafor,
Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini
and Wilfred Agbonavbare.

Source:- The Cable