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.

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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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