IMMEMORIAL
Flashback: Eye witness account with PHOTOS: How Okwaraji, five fans died on this day 35 years ago
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
This is day after the Olympics, one that must be easily forgotten, at least by expectedly disappointed Nigerians, Sadly too, the day marks the 35th anniversary of the most celebrated on-field death in Nigerian football.
The August 12, 1989 Italia ’90 World Cup qualifying match with Angola could had just been another match day. But it is now ever recalled, not for the result, which was favourable to Nigeria at least in the short run, but for the bizarre happenings.
It was just a day to the 10th anniversary of a previous disaster that claimed 24 lives at the National Stadium, Lagos.
Nigeria desperately needed to win the tie against Angola to be in contention of leading a World Cup qualifying group that also had Gabon and Cameroon.
The result of the penultimate match in Gabon which Nigeria against form books had lost 1-2 made the August 12, 1989 match the more important.
Besides, it was to be the first match after a long closure of the National Stadium, Lagos which was undergoing upgrading for an anticipated hosting of the then World Youth Championship (now u-20 World Cup) in 1991.
Nigeria had had to play their home matches at the low-capacity Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan until the National Stadium, Lagos was reopened.
Expectedly, the stadium was jam-packed for a teeming crowd that appeared to have been starved for close to two years that the stadium had been closed for refurbishment.
The crowd thronged the 40,000 capacity stadium, filling it nearly 20,000 over. About 4,000 others were stranded outside, making rounds to the 12 ramps leading into the main- bowl.
Announcements blared from the public address system directing the crowd outside to gates D, E and F leading to the southern pavilion at the Lagos end of the field. Gates had been opened nearly seven hours to kick off.
The spectators’ stands were overfilled, resulting in jostling and pushing, chokes, suffocation, exhaustion, and soon, deaths! Moments before kick-off, some of the spectators around the covered terraces began to faint in ones and twos.
Few people might have noticed the unusual incident of an ambulance moving on the just refurbished tartan tracks to convey the fainted fans after efforts at reviving them by medical personnel had failed.
One after the other, fans fainted and died
Then another ambulance came again. Ambulance movements became a common sight. The stadium’s clinic with only three beds became jam-packed with unconscious people.
It turned a gory site as more and more fans collapsed …
Medical personnel said there were so many of them and they had to be treated on the bare floor. Fifteen of them had to be taken to the General Hospital in Lagos.
One Mutiu Salami, a 14-year old victim who was rushed to the General Hospital and regained consciousness three days later narrated his experience: “As the match drew to an end, everybody was rushing. They rushed me and I fell down. The next thing I knew was finding myself at the hospital”.
He was lucky. It was more disastrous for others. Five of them died. Niyi Mosuro, a 15- year-old schoolboy from Ijebu-Ode was one of the victims identified. August 12, 1989, was the first time he would watch a football match at the National Stadium.
It was the last day he lived. Wale Mosuro, his uncle, said Niyi was not quite a football enthusiast. His body was discovered in the morgue. Others identified were bodies of Shehu Tijani and Okorie Agwu.
Nduka Irabor, then the Chief Press Secretary to the Chief of General Staff ( Vice President in the current situation) was on hand to offer helping hands to the dying
Everything went awry that sunny August 12, 1989. Sad incidents that would catch worldwide attention were unfolding. From the sidelines, five football fans were suffocated to death. Football, a national passion, overnight turned a national horror.
The standard of soccer in the Nigeria-Angola match fell below expectation even though both teams paraded a pack of tested professionals. Tackling was rough. Each side lost a penalty kick. Austin Eguavoen lost that of Nigeria.
Journey to the morgue begins for the dead
But the biggest disaster of the day was imminent. As the drab match progressed, an Angolan player slumped.
Medical personnel rushed to administer treatment. It was barely 10 minutes to the end of the match. As attention focussed on the injured player, and while some fans that had fainted by the sidelines were being attended to, the unexpected happened.
Last card! The yellow card by the Togolese referee, Hounnake-Koussai may have been a warning to Okwaraji that the end was imminent.
Dreadlocks haired Samuel Okwaraji, the Nigerian bubbling mid-field maestro, collapsed and fell face down. Few people would have thought it was mere exhaustion.
The nearest player to Samuel Okwaraji, Samson Siasia, rushed to the prostrate form and tried him to face up. What he saw was frightening as he put his hands on his head in despair.
“The way I saw him, he was gasping and foaming. His teeth were gritty… No one could easily ascertain the cause of his death. It still remains a mystery.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The death of former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai, on July 3, 2025, has once again cast a solemn shadow over July—a month that, over the decades, has become tragically synonymous with the passing of some of Nigeria’s most iconic football figures.
From pioneering coaches and players to football administrators, July seems to carry an eerie pattern of farewells in the Nigerian football community. Sports Village Square recalls the long, haunting list of notable football personalities who have died in this very month:
Jelisavicic Tihomer “Father Tiko” – July 1, 1986
Fondly remembered as the architect of Nigeria’s rise in African football in the 1970s, the Yugoslav coach guided the Green Eagles to third-place finishes at the 1976 and 1978 Africa Cup of Nations.
His era was marked by 45 matches, 24 wins, and a generation of stars. He died in an auto crash in Cancún, Mexico, just two days after the 1986 World Cup ended.
Samuel Ojebode – July 4, 2012
A left fullback and captain of IICC Shooting Stars, Ojebode was part of the legendary 1976 team under Father Tiko. His death marked the near-complete passing of that team’s iconic back four.
Dan Anyiam – July 6, 1977
A pioneer of Nigerian football and vice-captain of the famed 1949 UK Tourists, Anyiam was the first indigenous coach to sign a contract with the Nigeria Football Association (NFA). He was found dead in his car on July 6, 1977.
Muda Lawal – July 6, 1991
The midfield maestro and member of the victorious 1980 AFCON team, Lawal died on the 14th anniversary of Dan Anyiam’s death. He was also a key figure under Father Tiko and a part of IICC’s continental conquests.
Bashorun MKO Abiola – July 7, 1998
Nigeria’s greatest sports philanthropist and financier of several football clubs, including Abiola Babes, MKO Abiola died while in detention. His contribution to football remains unmatched across Africa.
Father Dennis Slattery – July 7, 2003
An Irish missionary and former NFA chairman (1956–1959), Slattery officiated several Challenge Cup finals and was a major figure in school sports development, founding the famed St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka.
Israel Adebajo – July 25, 1969
Founder of the legendary Stationery Stores FC, Adebajo died weeks before his club’s Challenge Cup final appearance. His team was one of the most beloved in Nigeria’s football history.
Enemuo Edozie – July 25, 2004
Edozie Enemuo was the Head of Marketing for the Nigeria Football Association (NFA). He tragically died in a car accident on July 25, 2004, along the Port Harcourt-Aba expressway while travelling to watch a CAF Champions League match between Enyimba and Bakili Bullets. The accident, which involved a collision with a tanker, also claimed the lives of five other people.
Enemuo’s death was a significant loss to the Nigerian football community. He was described as a dedicated and committed individual, and his death was described as “a very big shock” by NFA spokesman Sam Kaalu. At the time of his death, he was survived by three young children
Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu – July 25, 2024
A political and sports figure, Iwuanyanwu took over Spartans FC and turned it into Iwuanyanwu Nationale, a dominant club in the 1980s and early ’90s. He passed away at 81.
Mathias Obianika – July 27, 1992
The former Enugu Rangers striker made a memorable debut for Nigeria in 1971 with two goals against Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). He later became Rangers’ chief coach.
Anthony Ikazoboh – July 27, 1999
Former Super Stores player, two-time NFA Chairman and ex-Minister of Sports, Ikazoboh was murdered by armed robbers. He was instrumental in the development of Nigerian football, including the introduction of professional football in 1990.
Akinloye Oyebanji – July 27, 2019
A veteran NTA sports journalist and broadcaster, Oyebanji served for 35 years and retired as Managing Director of NTA Properties. He died after a long illness.
Senator Ifeanyi Ubah – July 27, 2024
Owner of FC IfeanyiUbah and a two-time Senator, Ubah died in a London hospital. He was a key investor in football and politics in the southeast region.
Cyril Okosieme – July 29, 1999
Pioneer goalkeeper for Enugu Rangers and later Bendel Insurance, Okosieme’s legacy lives on through his children who also made significant marks in Nigerian sports.
Tesilimi “Thunder” Balogun – July 30, 1972
The first Nigerian professional footballer in England, Balogun was a legend whose powerful shots earned him the nickname “Thunder.” He remains one of the most iconic names in Nigerian football history.
Sam Garba Okoye – July 31, 1978
A key figure in Nigerian football in the 1960s and ’70s, Okoye was known for his flair and trademark headband. He died in a car accident.
The recurring pattern of loss in July is both painful and puzzling for the Nigerian football community.
With Peter Rufai—the Super Eagles’ 1994 AFCON-winning and World Cup goalkeeper—now added to this sombre roll call, the month continues to be one of mourning and reflection in Nigerian football history.
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From flags to a life-size statue, images and homages to Pope Francis were visible all around the Pedro Bidegain stadium in Buenos Aires on Saturday as his beloved San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer team took to the field for the first time since the pontiff’s death.
Players wore jerseys with images of the late Pope along with the words “Together for Eternity,” as a remembrance for the passion Francis showed the team throughout his life, even remaining a member during his 12-year papacy.
A view shows a shirt of the San Lorenzo de Almagro, Pope Francis’ hometown soccer team, with a badge with an image of him and a message reading “together for eternity”, on the day of an Argentine first division match against Rosario Central, following the death of the pontiff, at the Pedro…
“The Pope is from Boedo,” fans chanted before the kickoff, unfurling Vatican-coloured
yellow-and-white flags. The club, based in the Boedo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, plans to name its new stadium after Pope Francis.
During the halftime show, Scholas Occurrentes, an international organization created by the Pope in 2013 to transform global education, also paid tribute to the pope, who died on Monday at the age of 88.
Jorge Bergoglio inherited his passion for the popular Argentine club from his father and never lost it.
“And may San Lorenzo win,” Bergoglio said shortly after his election in 2013, as part of a series of wishes for his home country.
While he never returned to Argentina as pope, a life-size statue of Francis wearing a scarf with the team’s colors, blue and red, around his neck and overlooked the match against Rosario Central from the sidelines.
The match remained scoreless until the 91st minute when Enzo Copetti scored the lone goal for Rosario Central, handing the pope’s hometown team a 1-0 defeat.
During his years at the Vatican, Francis was named an honorary San Lorenzo member and received several visits from club delegations, including one after the club won the Copa Libertadores in 2014 and presented the trophy to the Catholic leader.
-Reuters
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Diego Maradona was left to suffer in “agony” for at least 12 hours before his death, a forensic expert has told a Buenos Aires court.
Seven medics stand trial as they have been facing accusations of effectively letting the football legend die.
Autopsy revelations, made public for the first time on Thursday, paint a grim picture of Maradona’s final hours at his Buenos Aires home in 2020.
Prosecutors allege his medical team – including a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and several doctors and nurses – failed him miserably.
Carlos Cassinelli, director of forensic medicine at the Scientific Police Superintendency, told the court that Maradona’s heart was “completely covered in fat and blood clots,” clear indicators of prolonged agony.
“This was not a patient who should have been left at home,” Cassinelli declared. “His condition had been worsening for days – it was inevitable.”
The autopsy determined Maradona died from acute pulmonary oedema caused by congestive heart failure – a slow, painful decline rather than a sudden collapse.
Witnesses had previously testified that the footballing icon’s face and abdomen were alarmingly swollen in his final days. But, prosecutors said, the medics overseeing his care carried on regardless, showing an outrageous disregard for his deteriorating condition.
Among those on trial is Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s physician, and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, who prescribed the drugs he was taking right up until his death.
The defendants are accused of “homicide with possible intent” – knowingly taking a course of action that could lead to their patient’s death. If convicted, they face between eight and 25 years behind bars.
Maradona, famous worldwide for leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, died at 60 in a private residential complex north of Buenos Aires, just weeks after undergoing brain surgery.
Investigators claim his home care was riddled with negligence, branding it a catalogue of “serious mistakes” that sealed his fate.
The long-delayed trial, expected to last until July, will hear from nearly 120 witnesses – a legal battle set to expose shocking failings in the final chapter of Maradona’s extraordinary life.
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