The Imo Football Association and the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Imo chapter, have commiserated with the Heartland FC of Owerri over the demise of its coach, Christian Obi.

In separate statements signed by the media officers of the Imo FA and the SWAN, Angela Nkwo-Akpolu and Kennedy Onwunali in Owerri, on Saturday, the two bodies expressed shock and described Obi’s death as “most unfortunate”.

Obi died on Friday in a road accident en route Abakaliki, Ebonyi, to participate in the TICO/SELECT Ifeanyi Ekwueme pre-season tournament.

The bus the team was travelling with had a head-on collision with a wrongly parked truck in an attempt to evade another upcoming vehicle.

Ms Nkwo-Akpolu said the FA chairman, Ifeanyi Dike, regretted that Obi paid the ultimate price and prayed for the repose of his soul and fortitude so the family could bear the loss.

Mr Dike urged highway users to always adopt safety measures for the protection of lives and property and warned against indiscriminate parking of vehicles on the road.

He further urged security agencies and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to ensure the safety of road users, especially on the highways.

He prayed God to grant the players currently hospitalised speedy and total recovery.

“We appeal to corporate organisations and spirited individuals to partner and sponsor football clubs and make the round leather game much more lucrative as in other countries.

“No doubt, air travel will help reduce strain on officials and players, which will contribute to their mental and physical alertness for matches,” he said.

On his part, Mr Onwunali said the Imo SWAN chairman, Cosmos Chukwuemeka, recalled coach Obi’s contributions to Heartland FC both as a player and coach.

Mr Chukwuemeka prayed God to grant Obi’s soul eternal rest and a quick recovery to the injured players.

“The association calls on the state government and the police to investigate the cause of the accident to prevent reoccurrence,” he said.

(NAN)