Ebonyi football fans on Thursday remembered Samuel Okwaraji, the late Super Eagles midfielder, who died during Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against Angola on August 12, 1989.

Mr Okwaraji, who was then playing for Berchem Football Club of Belgium, slumped from congestive heart failure in the 77th minute of the Italia 1990 World Cup qualifier played in Lagos.

Nigeria later won the match 1-0, but the incident still casts a grim shadow over the country’s football history because of Mr Okwaraji’s impact on the national team.

Jerome Ezeoba, a football historian, said he was inside the packed National Stadium, Lagos, watching the match played under a scorching August sun.

“Okwaraji’s slumping was so sudden, as he had been running rings around opponents in the midfield from the onset of the match. The medics at the stadium tried resuscitating him to no avail, and he was rushed to the hospital, where the grim news of his death was eventually broken to a dumbfounded nation,” he said.

Peter Afamefuna, former chairman of the Chelsea Football Club Fans Club in Abakaliki, said the stories he heard about Mr Okwaraji motivated him in life.

“I grew up to learn that he was arguably the most patriotic footballer Nigeria ever produced, in spite of him being a master’s degree holder in law. The stories of how he paid for his airfares to national assignments and rejected match bonuses seemed like fairy tales, but they have been confirmed to be true,” he said.

Benneth Okolo, a businessman and football enthusiast, said that beyond patriotism and humility, Mr Okwaraji was a skilled midfielder who thrilled fans with his game.

“Okwaraji commanded the Super Eagles midfield with eye-catching football and ball-juggling skills before the likes of Augustine Okocha took centre stage. He was also a scintillating goalscorer, and his thunderbolt against Cameroon in a group game at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations still ranks among the tournament’s all-time goals,” he said.

Also speaking, Judith Amadi, a teacher and native of Umudioka in Orlu, Imo, the same town as Mr Okwaraji, expressed concern over what she described as the neglect of Mr Okwaraji’s memory by successive governments and the nation’s football fraternity.

“Sam, as we fondly called him, laid down his life for the nation, yet several promises made to his family by various quarters remain unfulfilled. We are pained that no one talks about this football legend anymore, as this was the man who brought Umudioka to the national and global map,” she said.

(NAN)