IMMEMORIAL
From Adams to Zagallo, the A to Z of sports personalities lost in 2024
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
In a few moments, the year 2024 will have rolled off. Welcome 2025! Yet the outgoing year saw the end of some notable personalities in the world, especially in Nigeria.
Those key figures left lasting impacts on their sports. Here are sports legends and trailblazers the world lost in 2024.
January 3: The first Nigerian to lead a team to win global football glory, Sebastian Broderick-Imasuen, died aged 86. He led the Golden Eaglets to the milestone win of the inaugural U16 World Cup in China.
The late coach was one of the players who represented the Nigerian football team at the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968 and famously scored from a free kick to win the then Challenge Cup for Bendel Insurance in 1972.
As a coach, he was the head of a three-man crew that included Bala Shamaki and Christian Chukwu when the Nigerian team shocked the world in China in 1985.
He led the team again in 1987 to Canada and got to the final before losing through a penalty shoot-out to the then-Soviet Union.
On the third attempt in the competition, his team lost to Saudi Arabia by penalty kick in the quarterfinals.
At another time, he was the assistant to Clemens Westerhof in the Super Eagles.
He began his football career in 1956 when as a student, he featured for the Onitsha team in the Challenge Cup.
In 1962, he joined the then ECN and was part of the Challenge Cup-winning side of 1965. He was invited to the national team in 1962 but only became a regular in the build-up to the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.
He was noted for his curving shots, especially from free-kick situations.
Popularly called ‘Sabara’, his biggest moment as a club player was when he scored the winning goal in the 3-2 victory for Bendel Insurance in the replay of the 1972 Challenge Cup with Mighty Jets of Jos at the Liberty Stadium – the first time the national cup final was held outside Lagos.
He later became a coach and handled the Midwest junior side to win the gold medal at the inaugural National Sports Festival in 1973.
January 5: Brazil’s Mário Zagallo who held the record for World Cup titles in general with four titles in total and the record for World Cup finals with six participations died, aged 92. He featured for Brazil in 1958, and 1962 and was also the manager at the 1970 edition.
Mario Zagallo, Brazil’s four-time World Cup winner
January 7: Global football icon, Franz Beckenbauer died, aged 78. He won the World Cup both as a player and coach and became one of Germany’s most beloved personalities with his easy-going charm.
Franz Beckenbauer won the World Cup both as a player and coach for Germany
February 7: Renowned Nigerian sports journalist, archivist, and analyst Kayode Tijani passed on. He reportedly died this Wednesday evening at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) after a protracted illness. He had been ill since returning from the Egypt 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
February 7: Former Super Falcons; coach, Godwin Izilein, who led the team to victory at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2004 died in Benin City, aged 81.
He was reported to be battling with “battling abdominal issues.”
February 11: Kenya’s marathon world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum died aged 34. He exploded onto the marathon scene in October 2023 when he ran a scintillating two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago, taking 34 seconds off fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record.
The death of the 24-year-old, who was driving in western Kenya in February when his car rolled over, left the athletics world in shock. Kiptum was expected to be one of the track superstars of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
April 10: A former American Hall of Fame NFL football star and actor turned celebrity murder defendant, O.J. Simpson died at 76. Nicknamed “The Juice”, Simpson was one of the best and most popular American athletes of the late 1960s and 70s.
May 5: Argentina’s World Cup-winning coach of 1978, César Luis Menotti, died from anaemia. He was aged 85. He led Argentina to the first of their three World Cup titles.
July 16: A pall of darkness again fell on Nigeria’s sports sector as a sports administrator, Ekene Adams, passed on. He aged 39. He was the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports. Before that, he was the General Manager of the Nigerian Premier League side, Remo Stars before going into politics and winning a seat in the Federal House of Representatives representing Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency, Kaduna State.
A former football player, Adams served as the general manager of Remo Stars as well as Kada City before he won a seat in the House of Representatives during the 2023 general elections. His sports background earned him the role of the reps committee chairman on sports despite being a first timer in the green chamber.
July 25: Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu who in 1984 acquired state-owned Spartans FC Owerri and renamed it Iwuanyanwu Nationale died aged 81. The club has since 2006 reverted to the Imo State Government and renamed Heartland FC.
July 27: The owner of the now defunct FC IfeanyiUbah, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, an oil mogul died aged 53. He was a federal lawmaker representing Anambra South Senatorial District.
The lawmaker died in a London hospital. He acquired the former Gabros Club and renamed it after himself as FC IfeanyiUbah. He was elected Senator in 2019 on the platform of the Young Progressive Party, YPP, and re-elected on that platform in 2023.
August 8: Former CAF president Issa Hayatou died 160 days after initial reports and a day before his 78th birthday. Sports Village Square reported that his death was initially rumoured 160 days ago on 1 March.
The Cameroonian was a long-serving president of CAF for 29 years from 1988 until his surprise ouster in 2017.
He also served as acting FIFA president from 2015 to 2016 after Sepp Blatter was suspended by world football’s governing body.
Hayatou, whose brother was the prime minister of Cameroon, was a lifelong sports administrator. He was an International Olympic Committee member from 2001-2016, after which he became an honorary member.
August 26: Nigeria’s first Olympic Games medallist, Nojim Maiyegun, died in Austria.Known to be virtually impaired for years, he has reportedly been in and out of hospital in the previous six months before his death. Maiyegun’s death came just a few days after the 60th anniversary of his feat when he won a bronze medal in boxing on 10 August 1964 at the Olympics in Tokyo.
He shared the bronze medal with Józef Grzesiak of Poland in the Light middleweight category. At the Olympics, the two losers in the semifinals are traditionally awarded the bronze medal, as there is no third-place bout. It was the first time since Helsinki 1952 that Nigeria won a medal. He thus ended Nigeria’s 12-year winless streak at the Olympics.
August 26: The long battle against terminal pancreatic cancer finally came to an end for former England manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson who passed away aged 76.
The popular Swede who was in line to manage Nigeria’s Super Eagles to the 2010 World Cup before he was upstaged by compatriot,Lars Lagerbäck passed away following a successful career in the football industry which included stints with England, Manchester City and Leicester City.
Earlier this year, he announced his imminent death, saying that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had a year to live in a “best-case scenario”.
The announcement was January this year and eight months down the line, he was no more. His football career spanned eight different countries.
He was in charge of England for 67 matches including the World Cup tie with Nigeria which ended goalless in 2002.
August 31: Ivorian soccer centre-back, Sol Bamba, (46 caps; Hibernian, Leicester City, Leeds United, Cardiff City), died from cancer at 39
September 5: Ugandan Olympic marathon runner, Rebeccaa Cheptegei, 33, died of her injuries after being set alight by her boyfriend.
October 6: The Fastest World Cup final match scorer, Johan Neeskens died, aged 73. He achieved the goal feat in the 1974 final match when he converted a penalty kick for The Netherlands against West Germany after 90 seconds of kick-off.
At the time, no West German player had even touched the ball! Neeskens was a midfielder and was considered one of the best of his generation.
October 13: The life-saving efforts for former Nigerian international goalkeeper, Peter Fregene, ended this day. He was aged 77, when he died surrounded by his wife and two of his children.
Fregene, was a member of the Nigerian team at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.
He last played for Nigeria on 13 March 1982 when Nigeria lost 3-0 to Zambia in a Group B AFCON match in Benghazi.
For years, he had been battling with illness and spent the last week on life-support.
November 20: Nigerian sports journalist, Dapo Sotuminu a celebrated Nigerian sports journalist whose illustrious career spanned several decades died after a brief illness, leaving behind a profound legacy.
His contributions were deeply mourned by the Lagos State Government, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Family United by Sports and the Lagos State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), who recognized his instrumental role in the growth and promotion of sports journalism and development in Nigeria.
His life was marked by resilience, passion, and a commitment to excellence, making him a beacon of inspiration for the next generation of sports journalists. His impact will remain indelible in the annals of Nigerian sports journalism.
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By GBENGA GBADESIRE
It’s been an incredible 21 years since one of Nigeria’s foremost football technocrats, Patrick Okpomo, who was a former Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), died in Lagos.
‘Sekito’, as yours sincerely fondly called him, was a panache of sports administration with a panacea for its challenges to the envy of his colleagues who couldn’t match his suave administrative attributes.
No wonder CAF and FIFA quickly grabbed him the moment the Nigeria factor dumped him. And like the star that he was locally, he soared globally so much that Nigeria had to shamefully recall him in 1999 to head the Technical Committee of the U-20 World Cup, which the country hosted.
Okpomo’s showcase of international football competence was courtesy of CAF President, Issa Hayatou who saw at close quarters the immense administrative expertise in him, having learned soccer administration under him when his Cameroonian government seconded him to Nigeria for training years earlier before his CAF presidency, and it was Hayatou who God thereafter used to elevate him to CAF and FIFA platform the moment Nigeria dumped him.
Leveraging on Hayatou’s goodwill and magnanimity, the rejected soccer technocrat suddenly became Nigeria’s unofficial soccer ambassador as he quietly climbed the CAF hierarchy.
And with grit and benevolence, he single-handedly got CAF to name Chief MKO Abiola the Pillar of Sports in Africa, a novelty title unheard of in the annals of sports diplomacy to the envy of his detractors.
An award which was to herald MKO’s popularity to an international level, which even his Abiola Babes FC couldn’t fetch him in their heyday.
But in all of this, the unassuming facilitator of this momentous award remained humbled, modest, humane and germane to all and sundry.
Remaining in the background, unseen or heard, in line with the civil service ethos that moulded him outside of his academic attainment at the University of Lagos and later the University of Alberta, Canada, Okpomo valued his integrity to the admiration of those close to him.
Though he was NFA Secretary General at three different times, namely 1984-1987,1989-1990 & 2001- 2002, our paths never really crossed until 1989 in Bauchi during that year’s FA cup final between BCC Lions and Iwuanyanwu Nationale.
Earlier in Lagos yours sincerely had written a story in Prime People/ Vintage People which he took offence to, and the moment I ran unto him at Hamdala Hotel Bauchi in company of NFA chairman, then Group Captain Anthony Ikazoboh with then Captain Emmanuel Okaro, he told Ikazoboh “Oga be careful with Gbenga “, to which the once provost marshal of the Nigeria AirForce replied as he came to stand by my side “Pat dis one no fit do me anything”.
With that Bauchi meeting resolving our differences, the stage was set for a robust and brotherly relationship with the trio of Okpomo, Okaro and Ikazoboh, so much that Ikazoboh was chairman at my wedding in Ibadan and to date, General Okaro, rtd and I are still friends.
‘Sekito’ and I became so close that I could order his wife, who shares the same Mary name with my Iya Eleja mom, to cook for me in their house, and whenever he was packing from one house to another, I was always around to help move items.
In continuation of our relationship, it wasn’t long before he started inviting me to join him at Ikoyi Club 1938 and Sagamu Golf Club to play golf, walking the length and breadth of the courses, teeing and putting.
The club became my relaxing point after my Unipetrol hustle so much that each time Emmanuel Maradas, publisher of African Soccer Magazine and I met at the office of my benefactor: former NFA chairman cum MD of Unipetrol, Alhaji Yusuf Garba Ali, and I needed to savour him with the touch of Lagos hospitality, our port of call was Ikoyi Club to the admiration of the Chadian- journalist who later offered me the editorship of his London based magazine twice with tempting pays which my village boy self-turned down.
As a buoy of our relationship, Okpomo, who had seen how comfortable I was doing in my logistics and petroleum marketing business, courtesy of my godfather, Alhaji Yusuf Garba Ali, swayed me to become an Ikoyi Club member rather than being his guest always, since I could afford it.
Though a lot of people didn’t know, I joined the Club in 1998 as a golfer, contrary to the misconception some people had when I won the election to become the Entertainment Chairman of the Club in 2006.
One remarkable thing happened at my induction date when Okpomo and I didn’t know that I ought to wear a complete agbada or corporate suit that night, and not the Senegalese guinea brocade that I wore.
Right on the queue, when he realised it, he dashed to his then Obanikoro area house from Ikoyi (a drive of 40minutes) to get me a suit only for the induction ceremony to be over by the time he got back, and I had to be rescheduled.
He was such a jolly good fellow/brother from another mother who wished for the progress of all and sundry, giving to the needy and quietly paying school fees for so many people that I knew.
You could then imagine my quandary when on the 1st of August 2004 I learnt that ‘Sekito’ was no more and not even my converging at his hometown in Inland Kokori, Delta State with the likes of Kola Abiola, Fanny Amun and Amaju Pinnick in November later that year could make yours sincerely believe in the farewell gathering that forlorn afternoon in the sea side town.
But alas, it’s been 21 years of witty Okpomo’s journey of no return since he went for a pile operation at St Nicholas hospital.
Gbenga Gbadesire is Publisher of The Session
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By KUNLE SOLAJA.
Twenty-one years ago today, Nigerian and African football lost one of its most admired and influential figures, Patrick Okpomo.
Aged 60 at the time of his passing, Okpomo’s legacy remains etched in the fabric of Nigerian sports administration and continental football governance.
Widely regarded as perhaps the most amiable sports administrator Nigeria has ever produced, Okpomo combined integrity, humour, and deep knowledge of the game in a way that endeared him to players, officials, and fans alike.
A three-time General Secretary of the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA)—serving from 1984 to 1987, again from 1989 to 1990, and finally from 2001 until he died in 2002—Okpomo’s steady leadership and quiet brilliance helped steer Nigerian football through critical phases of its evolution.
Beyond national borders, he was a towering figure on the African football scene. Okpomo served for over a decade on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Inter-Clubs Committee, played key roles on the Cup of Nations Organising Committee, and functioned as a CAF General Co-ordinator. His work also extended globally as a FIFA instructor, where he helped groom a generation of football officials across the continent.
In the wake of his passing, tributes flowed in from far and wide. Mustapha Fahmy, then Secretary General of CAF, described Okpomo as “one of CAF’s faithful members” and “a talented administrator whose sense of humour made him admired and respected at both continental and international levels.”
He concluded with a sentiment many shared: “The vacuum he leaves behind will be difficult to fill.”
Today, the most visible monument to Okpomo’s legacy stands in Asaba—the Patrick Okpomo Football House, which serves as the secretariat of the Delta State Football Association. It’s a fitting tribute to a man whose entire life was dedicated to nurturing the game and building solid administrative structures.
Yet Okpomo’s most enduring legacy may not lie in buildings or titles, but in the example he set: a football technocrat who married professionalism with personal grace, and whose memory continues to inspire sports administrators across Africa.
Perhaps in a poetic nod to his lasting influence, it was on his 15th memorial anniversary that CAF took a bold new direction in its internal reforms—a move many saw as symbolically aligned with Okpomo’s vision for excellence in football governance.
Two decades on, Patrick Okpomo remains not just a name in Nigerian football history, but a benchmark for what a sports administrator can be: principled, passionate, and profoundly human.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
As Nigeria marks the 27th anniversary of the death of Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, the sports community joins in solemn remembrance of the man widely regarded as the greatest patron of Nigerian sports.
Though best known as the winner of Nigeria’s annulled 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola was a towering figure in Nigerian and African sports — a passionate enthusiast, financier, and philanthropist whose contributions laid the foundation for some of the country’s greatest sporting achievements.
From football to boxing and athletics, Abiola’s impact was both vast and profound. His club, Abiola Babes Football Club, based in Abeokuta, Ogun State, was a household name in Nigerian football during the 1980s, winning the FA Cup twice (1985 and 1987) and producing some of the finest football talents the country has seen.
Beyond club ownership, Abiola was a strong advocate of sports journalism and media development.
He invested heavily in sports coverage through Concord Press, making it the first Nigerian media organisation to consistently give sports stories front-page prominence and dedicate magazine covers to sporting heroes.
“He wasn’t just a politician or businessman. MKO was the biggest friend sports ever had in Nigeria,” said a former Nigerian international, Dominic Iofar, who played for Abiola Babes. “He took care of us like we were his own children. He believed in sports as a unifying force.”
In the early 1990s, Abiola sponsored major boxing bouts in Nigeria and played a key role in the re-emergence of local pugilists on the international scene.
He also extended financial support to athletes ahead of major international competitions, often paying bonuses and allowances from his personal funds when government support lagged.
Even in death, MKO Abiola’s sports legacy endures. Several initiatives and youth tournaments held in his memory continue to reflect his vision of sport as a tool for youth empowerment, national unity, and global recognition.
“MKO taught us that sport wasn’t just a game — it was a nation-building tool,” said one-time NFA chairman, recalling how Abiola’s vision shaped Nigerian sports policy even from outside government.
As Nigeria reflects on Abiola’s political legacy, the sports sector salutes him as a trailblazer whose investments and ideals continue to inspire new generations of athletes, administrators, and journalists.
Today, there may be no flowers laid or tributes paid. Still, Nigerian sports remember MKO Abiola not just as a martyr of democracy but as the patron saint of Nigerian sports — a visionary whose love for the game burned as brightly as his dream for a better Nigeria.
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